Brotherly Love
by Afish244
Summary: America and Canada make a teenie, tiny little bet...Come on, what could go wrong? No romance, charming crack fiction qualities. Please enjoy!  T for language.  UPDATE: I am still writing and I will finish. Thank you for your patience.
1. Chapter 1

_"Oooooooh... Caaaaaanadaaaaaa..."_  
Mathew sighed, rolled over, and cracked open one eye. His digital clock beeped his nation's anthem at 7:15 AM, every morning. He slapped the red maple-leaf button to make it shut up.

_Ahhh... Silence._

He stretched in his bed, enjoying the cool temperature of the morning air. He rubbed his eyes and sat up once his post-awakening grogginess wore off.

A quick survey of the room told that the same familiar lumps and fuzzy globs of furniture were still there. If Canada squinted his eyes just right, he could make out some details of the lumps, but he still needed his glasses.

He gently swung his legs out of bed and felt around his end table until he found his glasses. He gently slid them over his ears and blinked a bit to adjust his eyes.

A tiny white polar bear poked up his head up from under the covers of the warm, snuggley bed. He gave a huge, adorable yawn and sleepily said "Who are you?"

Canada gave his customary sigh, and with a small laugh said "Good morning… I'm Canada, remember? Now go back to sleep." And with that, the tiny bear wiggled back under the covers.

Canada slipped out of his moose-pajama pants and slid on some jeans. He normally slept in a white undershirt, so he just threw a sweatshirt on over it- he didn't have any plans for the day.

He walked into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. His golden blond hair was a complete and total wreck this morning. He sighed and attempted to comb it, settling for only a little messy, parted down the middle. He couldn't get his one stray curl to stay down, but he didn't really mind. He never could. He brushed his teeth and headed towards to kitchen to cook some breakfast.

It was 7:47 by the time breakfast was ready. Canada had coffee brewing, three eggs sunny-side-up, toast and butter on the table, Canadian bacon, and maple syrup out despite a lack of pancakes.

He picked up a piece of toast and began to nibble on it when Alfred walked into the kitchen, still in his pajamas. He sported boxers with the American Flag on them and a sleeveless white shirt. He looked identical to his brother, tall and trim with pale skin and golden hair. He had his glasses on too.

"Do I smell bacon?" America asked. His voice was groggy and hopeful.

"You're up early, eh?" Canada said cheerfully.

"Yeah, it's because I smelled the bacon."

"That makes sense." Canada nodded. America was never this happy in the morning unless food was involved. "Do you want some?"

"Is England a funny drunk?" America asked as he plopped down at the kitchen table, grinning at his wit.

"Uh..." Canada wasn't sure how to respond.

"Yes. The answer is yes." America said with a smile. "May I have some bacon now?"

Canada laughed and stood up to get two plates. "What else would you like?"

"Uh... coffee, please. Oh, and some eggs. And bacon. You make really good bacon, even though it's just ham."

Canada wasn't too sure about giving his brother coffee. He seemed really hyper this morning.

"What're you so happy aboot?" Canada asked as he brought back two plates. His brother's was loaded with the three eggs and most of the bacon.

"We've got a world meeting today, remember?" America said. "I'm looking forward to it. I've got his brilliant idea on how to fix the hole in the Ozone layer, thus stopping the greenhouse gases thing. So first we build this big cork, and- Matthew!" He gasped in horror. "What're you doing?"

Canada innocently looked up from his plate. He was pouring maple syrup over his bacon. "Eating breakfast?"

America just shook his head. "That's so wrong! You just ruined the amazingness of your own bacon-ham."

Canada looked up confused. "My own…?"

"Yeah!" The American's tone was matter of fact. "Canadian bacon?"

"..Oh, right. I call it PB bacon. Anywa-"

"Weirdo~!" America teased through a piece of toast.

Canada sighed and continued to poor maple over his bacon. "Well, I'm soory if don't like my eating habits."

America giggled as he shoved half an egg in his mouth.

"What?" Canada asked, growing slightly irritated.

"You just said 'soory' instead of 'sorry'. "

"Well, how else am I supposed to say soory?"

America choked a bit on his egg as it went down. "Haa, you did it again! You're so weird, Matt."

"Come on now, give me a little slack, eh? You hate it when England corr-"

"Okay, okay, now you're doing it on purpose!"

"Am not! It's how I speak! You have some goofy accents too, ya know."

"Do not."

"Do too!"

"Okay bro." America said with a cocky grin. "Like what?"

Canada cleared his throat. "Well, y'all talk like this sum times."He said in his best imitation of America's southern accent. "It's mighty funny to me. Git it?"

" Hey." America rolled his eyes. "Come on, when do I ever actually talk like that?"

"When you've had one drink too much." Canada paused to think. " And oh, during that one time you called yourself the Confederacy."

"Wha? Oh, you mean during the Civil War. Well, that doesn't count."

"Does so."

"But that wasn't really me." America put his head in his hands. "You know how Civil Wars work. They're… messy. I'd really rather not talk about it."

"Right, right, Soory. But you I've heard you speak like that on multiple occasions."

"Whatever. Moose-face." America stabbed a piece of the Canadian bacon.

Canada glared right into his brothers bright blue eyes. "Did you just call me moose-face, burger-breath?"

America glared right back. "I'm pretty sure I did."

"Don'ch y'all mean 'ya reckon'?" Canada shot back, cocking his head mockingly.

America stood up from his seat in a huff. "Eh, soory, but, eh, I don't think you know who you're messing with, Hockey-Nut."

Canada stood up like his brother and leaned over the table, eyes still burning. 

"Is that some sort of challenge, cowboy?"

America opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. He just stared at Canada in complete confusion. After a few minutes of awkward staring, Canada finally burst out with "What?"

"Oh, right!" America said smugly. "Sorry, I forgot who I was talking to for a second. Then I wasn't even sure if you were there."

"Alfred!" Now Canada was pissed off. "Oh, lookit me, I'm the _United States of America_. I'm a _hero_! Gooo me. I like to piss off other countries so my brother Canada can get beat up! I'm so awesome! Hey, do you have any cheeseburgers? I haven't eaten in fifteen minutes!" He crossed his arms, giving America a look daring him to rebuttal.

"I can play that game," America whispered under his breath. "Oh, lookit me, _I'm Canada_. Oh wait, you can't see me, because, well, I'm Canada, dontchakno. I wish people would notice me, I wish I was as popular and a _devilishly_ good looking as my brother! I'll give you some maple syrup!"

"WE LOOK EXACLTY THE SAME, YOU HOSER!" Canada yelled in exasperation.

"That may be true," America said, fluffing his hair. "But beauty is only skin deep. Awesomeness, like this?" He gestured to his body up and down with his hands. "It's 100 percent _American_." He gave his goofy grin and strutted over to his brother on the other side of the table.

Canada rolled his eyes. It was his turn to put his face in his hands. "America, if I wanted to….I could have more awesomeness th-than you in my pinky." There wasn't much confidence behind the statement, and it came out hesitantly.

"Ha!" America said. He got a mischievous glint in his eye that made Canada nervous. "I bet you couldn't last a day attempting to live up to my awesomeness."

"You mean acting like you?" Canada was unimpressed.

"Exactly. You couldn't last a day in my shoes."

"Don't you mean your cowboy boots?" Canada challenged with a thin smile. He knew exactly where this was going. "Why don't you try being me for a change, eh? You couldn't last a half hour."

The mischievous glint in America's eyes only shone brighter. "You wanna bet, huh? Look. If you win, I'll do a month's worth of dishes. You couldn't last a world meeting as me."

Canada nodded. He knew this was rash and stupid and impulsive and stupid, but there was something about his brother's arrogance that he wanted to prove wrong. Plus, he enjoyed the thought of America doing the dishes for once. "And if you win, I'll... uh..."

"You'll kiss France!" America grinned from ear to ear at just the thought.

Canada eyes widened. "Kiss France?"

"Just to freak you out." America wiggled his eyebrows. "Or, you know, if you're into that kinda-"

"SO…We have a deal?" Canada held out his hand. It was too late to turn back now.

"Deal." America said as he firmly shook his brother's hand.

_What the hell did I just agree too?_ Canada thought through a wavering smile.

A/N MODIFYED


	2. Chapter 2

Canada and his brother _technically _didn't live in the same house, since they each had their own governments. It was more like two separate houses, connected by three of four rooms. The kitchen had what looked like two front doors on two parallel walls. One led to America's house, while the other lead to Canada's. From the kitchen you could go to the main foyer, the entertainment room, and the patio in the backyard. Naturally, Canada got the northern wing of the house, while America got the southern wing.

Canada had invited America into his bedroom to sort out the messy details of the bet. Canada's room was a calm brown earth tone, with one wall accented a deep rustic red. He kept everything humble and tidy, with a writing desk, an end table next to his bed, and a closet. He had pet bed on the floor for his polar bear, but he rarely used it. Canada's favorite part was a rather large bay window. He liked to look out and admire his nation when he had nothing better to do.

"So..." Canada started. "How do we go aboot doing this?"

America invited himself to sit down on Canada's bed. "Well... for starters, we should decide how long the bet lasts, and the rules, and that kinda stuff."

"Okay." Canada nodded. That sounded good. "It lasts from the time the meeting starts to the time the meeting ends. Rule number one; you can't act out of character."

"So, like, I can't walk up to Russia and slap him?" America asked innocently, his eyes once again mischievous.

"Most certainly not!" Canada replied with horror. Anyone but Russia. "So your job is to sit in the corner until someone notices you. If they do notice you, you need to act like me. If you don't act like me, and someone figures out that you aren't me, then you lose."

"That sounds fair." America nodded his head approvingly. "You'll need to speak up. And talk about my awesome plans! You could attempt heroism if you really wanted to. And you need to annoy the heck out of England."

"I know you well enough America, trust me." Canada smirked.

America hopped off the bed. "If you say so. We also need to look like each other." He calmly paced over to Canada's closet and opened it up. "Well, you know, more than we already do." He began sorting through Canada's hanging garments. "Sweatshirt, sweatshirt... Oh, there they are!" America took out Canada's formal beige jacket and held it up to his torso. "This is all I need, I think. I have beige pants and a tie. Come over to my house for my stuff."

Canada quietly followed his brother through the kitchen and to America's door. He had a colonial-star shaped knocker on his door, just like Canada had a maple-leaf shaped knocker on his. They strolled into America's house and continued on into his room. It was surprisingly tidy, with a warm-colonial vibe coming from the walls. Canada liked it. They went down a few halls and up a flight of stairs.

"Here's my pad." America said as he dramatically opened his door for Canada to peer in. It looked like a teenager's room. It had a cozy feeling to it, the walls a dark blue, with various versions of the American Flag hanging on the walls. It had a random assortment of crap on the floor, everything from socks and comic books to fast food trash. There was a sliding door leading to a balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

"Like it, huh?" America beamed with pride.

"Oh, uh, soory. I didn't mean to stare."

"No problem, bro. So, here's a pair of my suspenders, and my bomber jacket. Take good care of 'er, okay?" He patted his jacket with affection. "Here's a button down, and a tie. Jeans should be okay."

"I think this'll do." Canada couldn't help but crack a tiny smile. Along with making him super nervous, this made him feel a little naughty. "Let's change now. Where's the bathroom, ey?"

"Down the hall and take a right. Can't miss it."

Canada casually closed the door behind him as he entered the bathroom and changed into his brother's clothing quickly. He had to admit, America had a pretty good sense of style. The jacket had a certain comforting weight to it.

Soon enough, he heard a knock on the door. "Are you done yet?" An impatient America whined.

"Yeah." Canada said as he opened the door. He saw his brother, and felt like he was looking at a mirror.

America squeezed into the bathroom with his brother and looked at his reflection above the sink.

"Wow." He muttered.

"You look pretty good, ey?" Canada asked with a grin

"Well, sure, but that's not what I was talking about. Do I look transparent to you?"

Canada sighed. He and his brother spent a few more minutes admiring their reflections before Canada turned to his brother. "Is it just me, or... is there something off?"

America nodded his head. "There defiantly is. It's driving me nuts!" After a few more seconds of intense examination, America came to the conclusion that it was their hair.

"Oh! You're right!" Canada parted his hair to the left to match his brothers, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get his curl to stay down. America seemed to be having the same issue with his cow lick.

"That's a little better." America beamed at his brother. "You are one hell of a handsome man, if I do say so myself."

"Thank you!" Canada beamed backed, before remembering he looked exactly like his brother normally did. "Hey, wait!"

America's booming laughter echoed throughout his home, and Canada couldn't help but join in.

"You're such a jerk." Canada said with a smile. "This is so weird. I feel like I'm looking at myself from someone else's perspective."

"I know, right?" America stared at his brother up and down, over and over. "You need a haircut."

"You need to go on a diet." Canada replied teasingly.

"Humph." America crossed his arms self-consciously. "Oh, before I forget, what did you want to talk about at the meeting today?"

Canada squinted his eyes in concentration for minute before shrugging. "I don't know. I've never actually spoke at the meetings…Not that my nation has too many issues to talk about anyway."

America raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Is that what those meetings are for?"

Before Canada could decide if America was kidding or not, an old chiming melody came from somewhere in America's home. America mouthed the words to the first line of _America, The Beautiful_ "America, America, God shed his grace on thee~". It was a grandfather clock. _Dong, dong, dong, dong._

"Oh, we better get going." Canada said. The meeting started at six, and it was four.

"I'll drive!" America called dibs and zoomed downstairs.

Canada followed after him with his butterflies in his stomach. How could America be so outgoing. Just because they were twins, they defiantly weren't alike.

"Alfred…" Canada called out. "You forgot the keys!"

**A/N**

**Hello again!**

*****Thanks for reading, everyone! You guys have no idea how thrilled I am that people are taking interest! Thank you!

*****I can't help but giggle every time I read that something "made Canada feel naughty". I didn't want to take that part out... so I didn't. **  
**

*****This part is a little short, but oh well. It's fluffy enough as is. It didn't fit in with Chapter 1, but it doesn't really fit in with Chapter 3 either, or else it would be waaay too long.

*****I seriously appreciate everyone who reads this. You guys rock. If you don't like something, please tell me! I will take every piece of feedback into account- there's always room to improve. You'll see chapter three in a week at most.

**Happy reading! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

"I'll admit, flying a plane is more exciting." America claimed as he pulled up to their usual meeting place. "But we made it. Ready to pucker up to France?" He said teasingly.

"No." Canada replied quietly. He looked in the car mirror one last time. His curl was obvious, way too obvious. Someone would call him out on it right away, ask him why he was imitating his brother- then Canada remembered... he was Canada...No one would notice him. Wait...He was _Canada_! No one would notice him at all, and everyone would mistake him for America and ask why he was dressing so funny! Then he would have to kiss France! Ewww... That didn't mean he had to French kiss him, did it? Maybe that's how all French people kissed _all the time_! This was an awful idea. He could've done the dishes! America probably won't even do them anyway. This was a bad idea. A bad horrible awful idea. Maybe the worst idea ever.

"Ey! Canada to America! Is your head aboot to explode or something? Get out of the car already!" America was already pretending to be Canada, and Canada had to admit...America's Canadian accent wasn't all that bad.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Canada imitated his brother's impatient tone.

"Not too shabby." America said, switching back to himself for a brief second. "But I think I can do better, ey?" He was practically luminous with confidence. Canada's heart was beating at an alarming rate. He would have to talk! And... People would notice him! This wasn't worth not doing the dishes.

"You do realize that I don't talk that much, right?" Canada in the same quiet tone. America was getting cocky. "And I don't say 'ey' that much."

They reached the entrance to the building and America held the door open for his brother. Canada raised a confused eyebrow, and his brother gave a little polite nod. _Ooh, I get it. Us Canadians, we're so polite. Haha. _He rolled his eyes.

"Woah..." he said as he walked into the hall that led into the meeting room. "Dude! I don't remember this place having automatic doors.. Creepy..."

The two brothers weren't halfway down the hall leading to the meeting room when they heard an angry shout from behind.

"AMERICA!" England yelled at the top of his lungs.

Both the real America and the fake one whipped around. The real America looked at England expectantly, before he remembered that he was supposed to be Canada. He kept his mouth shut.

The _fake_ America turned around because he was actually rather used to being mistaken for his brother. England made that mistake a lot.

The North Americans glanced at each other as England continued to huff towards them. This was it; who was England going to confront? Canada held his breath and tried not to show his fear.

"America!" England shouted again. His face was a bright red with anger which made his green eyes visible from a mile away. His bushy eyebrows twitched with agitation. He huffed right up to Canada and slapped him in the face.

"_Owww_!" Canada yelled. He quickly put on an American accent. "What was that for?"

"_Yoooou_ flew one of your bloody airplanes over my house for _hours_ a week ago while I was trying to _sleep_. And as if _that_ wasn't enough, you dropped jillions of tiny rubber bands on my driveway! "

"I-I did? I mean, ha, yeah I did." Canada thrust out his chest and laughed at England in his best impression of his brother as he could. "I wanted to show off my new plane."

"You're a bloody git, Alfred." England's heavy accent only made him his sinister tone more threatening. He stormed off towards the meeting room, muttering to himself. "Yes, Pixie, I know he is. I know! I'll try that curse again..."

Canada turned to America, whose face was almost as red as England's had been from trying to hold in laughter. Once England had gone inside the meeting room, burst out into a very loud fit of laughter. After a few minutes, he took a deep breath, giggled quietly for a bit anyway, and attempted to calm down.

"Thanks for that." Canada muttered bitterly. That slap _hurt_. He gingerly touched his face and wondered if he would wake up tomorrow with a hand-shaped bruise.

"Hey, man, I'm sorry. I completely forgot about that, honest! ...But I knew there was another reason I was looking forward to today!" He struggled with another fit if laughter. "Dude, he didn't even notice me. This is great! This… This is a like a superpower! You're like a freaking ninja!" He broke out into another burst of giggles. "A Canadian ninja!"

"Sh-shut up!" Canada whined, giving his still snickering brother a shove. "I'm so screwed." He said under his breath. He composed himself, adjusted his glasses, fixed his jacket, and gave one last look at his brother before he entered the room. Good luck, America silently mouthed.

"Good morning!" A happy American accent rang throughout the meeting room as the doors dramatically burst open. America stood next to him, hands shyly behind his back in imitation.

Canada awkwardly scanned the room. The vast conference room was filled with an enormous U shaped table and countless amounts of chairs. The five other countries already seated all just stared at him.

"It's... evening, no?" Germany said stiffly. He sat with his back as straight as a pole, solid blue eyes serious and blonde hair slicked back.

"Da." Russia said, gesturing towards Germany. "Hello, America." He said with a friendly smile. Canada ignored his instincts and meekly smiled back. Russia was huge, always wore a scarf, and had a terrifying air to him.

"Humph." England also sat with his back straight. He had his nose in the air and, like the gentleman he was, greeted Canada despite what had happened in the hall five minutes ago. "It's five forty-five, to be exact. In the evening. Hello."

Japan passively stared at Canada and nodded in acknowledgment. "Greetings."

France didn't look impressed. He was playing with his hair, looking bored out of his mind. "Bonjour." He said with a sigh.

America stood there for a second, waiting for the other countries to say something to him. He stared down each of them, but they did nothing. He would've sighed, but because he was pretending to be Canada he simply took a seat in the corner and watched his brother with amusement flickering in his eyes. This was going to be a piece of cake.

Canada had screwed up already. He silently cursed himself. "Oh, really? I hadn't noticed. I was too busy...doing... heroic things to even bother looking at the time." He took America's usual seat at the head of the table and loudly sat down. You could see the entire room from here...Canada found the way everyone had instantly noticed him kind of unsettling.

"Being a hero, hmm?" France asked, only wanting to kill the silence.

"Yuuup." Canada replied happily. Inside he was a little miffed. He was highly influenced by France when he was growing up, even considered France to be like a big brother... and now France didn't even care about him.

"...like vuat kind ov hero work?" Germany asked. He was clearly up for some small talk too.

"Oh, ya know." Canada fluffed his hair like America had earlier. He tried his best to imitate America's cocky attitude. "Saving puppies. They were stuck in trees." Why did he just say that? The connection to his brain and his mouth was obviously failing due to pressure. He silently cursed himself again.

He felt England's glare on his skin like two green laser beams.

Canada looked at England clueless, wide-eyed stare in return. "Well, what was I supposed to do? Just leave them there?"

England sighed. He was not amused. "America, can you tell me_ how_ on _Earth _puppies got stuck in a-"

"Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" The door to the meeting room burst open as Italy came running through. "Germany, Germany! Heeelllp meeeee!" He made a mad dash towards where Germany was sitting and quickly hid behind him. Moments later a very angry looking Romano stormed into the meeting room.

"Vaut now?" Germany asked, looking at a blubbering Italy with an awkward combination of concern and annoyance.

Romano was about to open his mouth when Italy suddenly started blabbering.

"Romano said that pizza wasa better than pasta and I said 'No!' and he said 'Yes!' and I said 'No!' and he said 'Yes!' and I said 'No!' and then he said 'Yes!' and then Spain came up behind and said that he would kick our butts if we didn't shut up and and and I'M SCARED, DOISU! SAVE MEEE!"

"Italy, don't let this damn potato-jerk protect you! He's what's ruining your palate! Shitty potatoes are killing your taste buds! "Romano was waving his hands in the air erratically."Pizza is so much better!"

Italy popped up from behind Germany. He had a young naive face, brown eyes, and light mahogany-red hair, with one curl to his left. He stopped crying instantly. "Pasta is much better than pizza!"

Romano looked almost identical to his brother, but he had darker hair and a single curl to his right. "No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Ye-"

Spain walked through the door and glared at them both. The two shut up immediately. "ii Ay dios mío ! You two!"

Both Italians instantly cowered behind Germany. Italy began crying and Romano began slapping Germany. "Protect me, potato-jerk! Protect me, damn you, protect me!"

Germany glared at everyone one of the countries watching the commotion- everyone besides America, that is- and slammed his hands down on the table as he stood up, making a large SLAP!

"Vill you both SHUT DUP!" He yelled. "Spain." His blue eyes flashed with hostility. "These two are _idiots_." He hissed the last word through his teeth. "And who do you think has to deal vith them? ME!" Germany took a deep breath. "Ignore them." He said flatly.

Spain's eyes were wide. He nodded slowly, and quietly found a seat at the large conference table. Germany cleared his throat awkwardly, and his eyes didn't leave the papers in front of him.

"Aiyaaa~!" China ran into the room. "I heard yelling! Am I late already?" He had long dark hair in a ponytail and proudly wore red cloth. "I was just having a snack when I looked at the time, aru~. I didn't want to be late again."

"Nope, you're good, dude." Canada said leaning back in his chair. He tried to look calm and easygoing on the outside, like America usually did before meetings... But on the inside he was _FREAKING OUT_. So many countries were already here... and so many more were coming.

Soon after China seated himself next to Japan, the countries started trickling into the room at a steady pace. Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria and Hungary all came in together, followed by the Baltic States. Poland lazily strolled in, followed by Prussia. Russia's sisters ran straight to Russia to sit by him, much to Russia's delight (Ukraine) and terror (Belarus). More nations Canada didn't even recognize started to show. And with every nation that came in, Canada's heart beat faster and faster. He thought his heart was going to explode… and that didn't sound healthy.

"You sick or something?" France asked quietly as the other countries made idle chit-chat, waiting for the last few stragglers to come. "You're never this quiet, America. Plus, you look like you're going to barf."

"What?" Canada said as if he was confused. Had his nervousness really been that obvious? And why was it France that spoke to him? That didn't help. "What're you talking about? I've never been better." He flashed France his best 'American Smile', and France shrugged it off.

Canada swallowed nervously as he realized that that was most _defiantly_ the biggest lie he had ever told.

**A/N**

**Hey Thar! :D**

*Who doesn't want to be a Canadian Ninja, honestly?

*This one is a bit longer. It looks like my average word count is 1500-2000 per chapter, so I'll try to keep that in mind.

*I'm still new to Fan Fiction, so sorry if anyone is having update issues. I put up a chapter, forget to put my Notes, so I take it down and publish it again. I hope that's not an issue for anyone!

* If I were you, the reader, I would say "That's great... but what about my dearest Alfred?". Don't worry, Alfred is the star of the next Chapter. ~Lessthanthree~

*I know! The meeting still hasn't started yet! But that's because everyone needed to get there. And poor Canada needs to gather his wits.

*As always, thank you to EVERYONE that reads this, even if you hated it! Be as brutal as you want with reviews, every piece of feedback will help me improve. You'll see the next chapter within the next week at most. Thank you!

**Happy Reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Just like Matthew had gotten more nervous with every country filing in, Alfred had become increasingly miffed.

He was sitting there, plain as day. Right next to the door... by the plant... Just... sitting! It was driving America insane. How could Canada do this every meeting?

America checked the time. Five fifty. It had only been five minutes? America imagined himself groaning loudly, but that wasn't as satisfying as actually groaning.

He shuffled in his seat. He would make the most out of this meeting, bet or no bet, or his name wasn't Alfred F. Jones! And last time he checked, it was.

He decided to amuse himself. He began by simply smiling at every nation that passed. A polite, shy little smile, a smile he had seen time and time again on his brother. Still no one acknowledged him. He waved a little as they passed. Nothing. He made stupid faces, trying to inspire a laugh. To no avail. He considered flipping the bird on multiple occasions, but that wasn't very Canada-like. He gave up and crossed his arms in a huff. He. Was. So. Freaking. Bored.

Despite his perpetual boredom in his situation, he had to admit watching the usual world meeting antics from a third person perspective was pretty entertaining. He also had to give it to Canada; he wasn't too crappy at pretending to be America. But watching only made America even more restless. He liked to be in on the action. He would have to wait until next month's meeting to personally harass England. Plus, he did much more heroic things than rescue puppies from trees in his spare time, and he figured the rest of the nations should hear about it.

America let his gaze wander aimlessly throughout the room . His eyes landed on his brother, sitting in America's usual seat.

Canada was sitting too stiffly. He needed to relax. His blue eyes darted from country to country to country to country, and he wasn't speaking. America smirked a little to himself. This was going to be the quickest he ever won a bet. But behind his arrogant facade, he was a little concerned for his brother...Though he would never admit that out loud. Poor Canada seemed really freaked out... and all America had to do was sit here and be bored. That didn't seem very fair, and America hated unfairness. America sighed. He couldn't do about that now, and after all, a bet was a bet.

His eyes continued to wonder around the room, and they soon landed on France. He gave a quiet chuckle as he imagined Canada walking up to France, asking for a smooch.

_"H-hey, um, France?"  
"Jes, my little friend, what is it?"  
"Um... w-w-would you... ah, let me kiss you, please?"  
"Why not? I am France! I will try anything once."  
_

America was smiling an evil smile as his daydream went on. Canada would be so red in the face! Maybe America could secretly film it, and show the other countries. Maybe even put it on the Internet. America found the scenario amusing to no end, but even he knew that would be taking it too far. Canada would _kill _him. He couldn't recall Canada ever being pissed, and the thought was kinda scary.

When America snapped back to reality, he checked his watch again. It was officially six. America looked for empty chairs, but he couldn't find any.

"Alright everybody!" Canada called out in an excited voice. The idle chitchat slowly died down as everybody turned to look at Canada. America scanned his brother as thoroughly as he could, looking for signs of fear or timid behavior. His search found nothing. "I officially begin this meeting!"

_About time._ America thought. He wished he could be the one heroically directing the meeting like he normally did. Sitting here doing nothing was like being put in the time out chair. He would be lucky if someone talked to him.

Canada pulled out a laptop and a projector from under the table and hooked everything up. Projected on the wall was a PowerPoint presentation America had prepared.

"So, everyone is aware of the hole in the ozone layer, right? Right! Well, that's a world issue. I have an AWESOME idea on how to fix that!" The group collectively moaned. Canada clicked to the next slide, pulling up a picture of the earth with a frowny face on it. Canada continued beaming on and being hyper, bouncing around as he began to explain America's idea. America crossed his arms once more and gave an almost embarrassed glance at the other countries. He didn't put on this much of a fuss, did he..?

"So, first, we construct this huge cork! Then we use science to make it float! We float it up to the hole and -pop-! We just plug it up! Then global warming is solved, all thanks to my heroic genius!" Canada smiled in what was meant to be perceived as pride in the idea, but America saw right through it. Canada was actually smiling because he was doing good job acting like his brother. Canada quickly glanced at America in the corner. America rolled his eyes in return.

America approved of the how Canada had presented his plan. Canada wasn't too specific (he wanted to genetically engineer the cork so it grew wings and then befriend it) but he was satisfied.

"So that America guy is your brother, right Canada?"

America nearly jumped out of his skin and whipped around to see a young boy casually standing beside him. He was wearing a blue sailor's cap with a matching blue sailor suit. He had a black handkerchief tied around his neck and sea greenish-blue eyes under England-like eyebrows.

America had never seen this kid a day in his life, or at least he didn't recall ever seeing him. But apparently, he was on a first name basis with Canada. America stared intensely at the boy, trying to see if anything would jog his memory... nothing was ringing a bell...

"Um..." The boy said awkwardly. "Canada? Are you... okay?"

America snapped out of it and imitated his brother's soft voice. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Nice to see you again!" He gave a small friendly smile... A small, friendly, completely clueless smile.

The Kid perked up. "It's nice to see you too! But not these other jerks." He glared at the oblivious nations.

America was so full of questions he wanted to explode. Who the heck was this? How did Canada know him? Why hadn't he ever mentioned him? When did he get here? And what was with the sailor suit?

"They don't notice you either, ey?" America said quietly. He imagined that how Canada and this kid knew each other.

"No." The kid pouted. "They don't even recognize me as a nation. But they will. They all will one day! Even that jerk England will have to listen to me."

America couldn't help but smile a little. This kid had spunk... and he liked that. He reminded America of himself when he was little. He especially liked the "jerk England" part. He knew this kid from somewhere... He couldn't help but think that his name began with a _C_...

"They aren't all that bad." America said reasonably. It sounded like something his brother would say. He looked fondly at his brother now, still hopping around, answering the countries questions and explaining other "ideas".

"You never answered my question. That America guy is your brother, right?"

America nodded.

"He's pretty lame too. Not as lame as England, of course."

Maybe this kid wasn't so great after all. "Well now, ey, why do you say that?" He asked, a little hurt.

"I doubt he even knows who I am." The kid responded in a huff.

"I bet he does." America regretted the words as soon as they leaped out of his mouth. He had no idea who this kid was! His competitive instinct had just kicked him right in the Florida.

"I bet not." The kid said sullenly.

America didn't plan on making any more bets anytime soon. He simply shifted in his seat as he made a mental note to say hi to this kid next meeting... once he found out what his name was.

"America isn't so bad. He can just be... ignorant." America inwardly sighed. He was fully aware of his weaknesses, and hated to share them.

"Whatever. He's still a butt as far as I'm concerned."

_Cute kid._ America thought sarcastically. "So..." He trailed off awkwardly. He assumed Canada did that from time to time. "What's new?" Any sort of conversation would be good at this point.

"Nothin'." The kid responded.

After a few more minutes of awkward silence, the kid adjusted his hat, cleared his throat, and promptly said "This is really boring. _Sealand, out_!" He then ran out the room .

"Sealand! I knew it began with a C!" America gave a quiet Canadian chuckle. He had to agree with Sealand... this whole sitting-and-doing-nothing-thing was _still _really boring. He decided to pay attention to the meeting again. He looked at Canada.

"...and that's how we would do it!" Canada said enthusiastically. "You guys sure are lucky to have me; otherwise you wouldn't know how to do anything!"

"America," England said through clenched jaws. "We cannot mix the DNA of cork and a bird. To begin with, birds are living. Cork isn't."

_Huh._ America thought. _Canada must've mentioned the genetic engineering._

"What about your 'magic'?" France said with a mocking air.

"Wanker!" England yelled. He stood up dramatically to threaten France. "Why are you so bloody insistent on pissing me off?"

"What does 'wanker' even mean?" France asked to further piss England off. It had worked, and they began to argue.

"You all do realize that this idea vouldn't vork anyway, right?" Germany said exasperated.

"I think it could work Doisu~!" Italy said with pure innocence.

"Yeah, potato-loser." Romano hissed.

"Don't call Doisu that! Why can't you get along?" Italy asked. Romano and Italy started making a huge, loud fuss.

"You're opinions don't count." Spain mumbled.

"Spain..." Germany glared.

"This is such a waste of time." Austria said, gently touching his temples.

"Oh, and what, do you have anything better to do?" Switzerland spat. He looked ready to hit Austria.

"Big brother..." Liechtenstein said in soft protest.

"Nii-Chan! Marry me!" Belarus yelled out if nowhere.

"Save me..." Russia whimpered as he grabbed Ukraine for shelter.

"Aaah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ukraine started flailing around.

Soon the room was filled with unorganized chaos and loud arguing. America raised his eyebrows. This was quite out of hand... Just like it is normally. _Good job Canada._

Then, China let out a high-pitched scream of terror. The room was silenced immediately as everyone turned to look at him. He stood up and pointed directly at America.

"There is a man hiding behind that house plant, aru~! _He's a stalker_!"

_Oh Crap._ America snapped into character. The room gasped as they noticed America for the first time. He continued to sit, his hands politely resting on his lap, smiling sheepishly.

"I thought it felt like I was being watched..." Canada said with a shiver. America couldn't help but sense a hint of curiosity in Canada's tone. Canada was waiting to see how well America could pull off his performance.

"Who is that?" Russia asked. "He looks like another America."

The room went quiet once again, filled with subtle _"ummm"_'s and _"It's on the tip of my tongue, I swear"'_s.

_Showtime!_ America thought. He sheepishly stood up to address the countries. He adjusted his suit and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Uh, Hello. I am Canada."

**Hello! :)**

*****First off, I would like to thank everyone who has Reviewed, Subscribed, or added this story to their Favorites. You guys have no idea how much it means to me! And I honestly can't say thank you enough. Like, seriously, are you guys really annoyed with my gratitude yet?

*****Sorry this one took a little longer than the other chapters. Something felt off about it, and I kept blankly staring at the text until I had revised it enough to my satisfaction.

*I certainly hope my writing lives up to Alfred's greatness. He is my one true hero lessthanthree!

*****Haha, ha, funny story about the whole Sealand thing... see, in the episode were Sealand is introduced, Lithuania talks to him and tells him how hard it is to be a real country... I thought Lithuania was Canada, which is why I had the whole "First-name-basis" thing going on between Canada and Sealand...Epic fail, I know.

*****I think that's all for this time. Keep reviewing! Tell me what you hated, tell me why I'm the worst Hetalia fan ever (how dare I confuse Canada with Lithuania?), because there is always room to improve :) I take every review into deep consideration, and I try to respond to them all.

**Happy Reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

The room was so silent, you could've heard one of Poland's bobby pins drop.

After a fairly awkward amount of time, Canada took a step forward. He discretely scanned his brother; America was standing proudly, happy for the attention. Canada blinked in disapproval; he was pretty sure he didn't stand like that too often. Other than that, his brother had everything right. America looked the part and sounded the part. Canada secretly hoped America would hurry and screw up already…Canada had surpassed his own _personal _expectations. He was surprised he hadn't collapsed into a pile of shaking nerves yet. Matthew cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses matter-of-factly. He couldn't drop the act now.

"Who?" Canada asked, his eyebrows raised in a clueless manner. "Canada….?" He always hated this part of the meeting... he would _finally _get noticed, and then _no one_ would remember who he was... not even his own brother. The room slowly filled with questioning murmurs.

"Ah..." America trailed off awkwardly. Canada waited patiently for America to construct a plan of action- he could practically see the gears turning in America's mind. "I'm Canada, ey? Your brother…?"

The room slowly died back down to its awkward silence. America shuffled impatiently.

"_Doitsu_!" Italy whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. "_Why are there two Americas_?"

America's mind raced. What would Canada do? America decided that, in the situation, Canada would just give up. America decided to give a sad pout as he turned to sit back down.

"Ah… Now that you are mentioning it, you and America-san do look alike." Japan said firmly. It was his best attempt to mollify America's feigned sadness, and America appreciated his effort. It was cute. Canada, on the other hand, resented Japan's comment. No one ever tried to console him! He reminded himself that that was a childish thought and tried to contain his irritation.

America's response came off as unprepared. He turned around and looked at Japan, a bit like a deer caught in headlights. "Heh, we do look alike, ey?" He said in a quiet voice. Canada and America exchanged a quick humored glance. If only Japan knew…

Canada felt eyes burning into his cheeks and looked out towards his peers. He jumped back to realize all eyes were looking at him expectantly. It was usually at this point of the meeting when America said something regarding his brother. Canada's heart skipped a beat as his mind raced. He had gotten all caught up watching America… How could he let himself do that? He resisted the strong urge to look at France and nervously cleared his throat. He wasn't going to lose…He wasn't going to lose…

"This dude does seem... familiar..." Canada bitterly remembered one time where America had said exactly that. Naturally, America didn't. Canada resisted the urge to sigh.

America's eyes were impatient, but the rest of him was calm. His tone seemed a bit stiffer. "That's because we're brothers, ey? We live in North America together...?" He scanned the room almost desperately for any sign of recognition. He got nothing. Canada knew that America's inner child was throwing a hissy-fit.

Canada's blue eyes were smug yet sympathetic. He knew how his brother felt, but it was about time he got a taste of his own medicine. The Canadian decided to put on a show. He cradled his chin in his right hand, squinted his eyes, stuck out his tongue a little in concentration. He even made a number of questionable noises for dramatic effect. He went on with his act for a while, and then loudly exclaimed "_Ooooooooh!"_ He ran over to America and gave him a hard hit on the back. America politely grimaced for a second, and then looked thankful.

"You're that guy that brings me coffee sometimes!" Canada let out a hardy laugh.

Canada couldn't help but notice that America's body language was all... twitchy. He kept messing with his glasses, fixing his hair, absentmindedly playing with his fingers. Canada had a sudden jolt of realization. _He feels guilty!_ Canada wasn't sure how to feel about that...he never imagined his brother caring _that_ much.

"Haha, ha, yeah..." America looked disappointed again. His eyes had a guilty glaze to them.

"Oh." England said plainly. "Oh… Oh oh, yes yes, that's _right_! Ah, Canada, sorry about that! Yes, I know you!"

France looked at America quizzically, and then recognition flashed across his face. "Canada! Aha, jes. Quite clearly! You have my _heavenly_ hair after all, no?"

"Not this again." England muttered to himself.

One by one the countries remembered who Canada was. The real Canada was trying to hide his massive disappointment... this was just embarrassing. The fake Canada flashed his brother a glance that said _"wow... really?"_ and made it a point to stay politely quiet.

"Ha, I do bring you coffee from time to time." America said shyly, once the murmurs of recognition had died down. _More like every morning... Except for this morning..._ Canada disregarded the thought.

At this point, Canada was a little restless. He knew that the meeting would come to an end at some point, and _somebody _would have to lose the bet. And no way in maple's good name was Canada going to lose. Then, like someone had flipped a switch, Canada hatched a plan...an evil plan.

"Well bro, why don't you pull up a chair?" He would weasel America out of character! He ran over to the plant and pulled up the chair America had been sitting in earlier. He hastily pushed it next to England. "You can sit right next to Iggy here!" Canada then proceeded to whap England upside the head. He tried not to giggle at the rebellious jolt it gave him, like being shocked with static electricity.

"_Ah! You wanker_!" England's hand shot to the back of his head. Emerald green eyes shone with hostility. "What was that for? And don't call me Iggy! I don't even know how the bloody nickname caught on."

"In Japanese, 'England' would be 'Igirisu'." Japan explained calmly. "Which, to some, sounds a bit like Iggy."

"And what, do your people talk about me all the time or something?" England failed to see the point Japan was trying to make.

"Er..." Japan looked awkwardly at China, who responded with a 'Why are you looking at me?' glance and a shrug. "... uh...something like that...yes."

"ANYWAAY..." Canada interrupted obnoxiously. "Sit here bro!" He pointed to the empty seat.

America hesitated. What sort of villainous trap was this? He gave his brother a quiet Canadian thank you and sat down.

At least all this had been entertaining him, and he had gotten some attention. But now he was sitting next to England... and he couldn't do anything to him. _Oh._ America thought. _Canada is sneaky_! America saw through Canada's trap; Now America was **really **determined to stay in character. Unfortunately, this meant being on his best behavior.

"He's such a twit." England said quietly to America in an apologetic tone.

_Shut up, scurvy-breath! _America bit back an insulting rebuttal. Instead, he gave a little chuckle. "Oh, I know. But it's all good, ey?"

"The ruddy bloke is going to get himself killed, I swear. Not that I care." The Brit fluffed his hair.

America gave an acknowledging nod. England was seriously testing his patience, which America never had much of to begin with. He slowly turned to look at Canada and shot him a sullen glare.

Canada just raised his eyebrows innocently and whistled what was supposed to sound like a patriotic tune.

"I vill take over frum here." Germany proclaimed as he stood up. Germany's austere stance demanded attention, and it was given to him. He took his place in front of the nations and began to drone off in a venerable tone. Canada took a seat, thankful to step out of the limelight.

"As you are all vell avare, Vorld Var Two continues." Germany's piercing blue eyes quickly flicked to his allies. "You all understand the gravity of the situation, and you all should be prepared. This is not a threat- this is a promise." Germany then sat back down. The second he had relaxed, everyone muttered anxiously.

America, for one, was _instantly_ pissed. How did that relate to solving the world's problems? What was that supposed to mean? What kind of vague stupid commie _threat_ was that? He didn't care what Germany promised - _It was a threat! A commie threat!_ It was a general rule that everyone put aside their differences for World meetings, and stupid Germany was no exception! But this... this was ridiculous! And the worst part? America couldn't say anything about it. He began shaking with retained anger.

"Canada, relax." England said in a mildly comforting tone. "It's just big talk. You're not even an ally, chap."

"Yes I am." America managed to choke out quietly. England thought he was shaking because he was scared… Ha! He swallowed... England trying to comfort him didn't exactly help with his rage thing, but as much as America hated to admit it, Ol' Iggy did have a point. It was probably mindless propaganda. America bit his knuckle and looked at Canada.

Canada fought to look impassive on the outside- it was the only thing he could manage. On the inside, he was panicking. His legs felt like jelly, his stomach dropped. Why would Germany say something like that? It wasn't necessarily what Germany had said that made Canada feel like this, but it was the fact that, as America, he knew he had to say something. He glanced pleadingly at America.

America raised his eyebrows and slightly cocked his head. _'What're you waiting for?'_ His eyes were an indescribable mixture of a threatening demands and desperate pleading. America was still sitting there, trembling.

Canada swallowed nervously. This wasn't about the bet... this was about America's reputation...No… not just his reputation… This was about everything America stood for. Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration… But if Canada didn't speak up, America would _never_ forgive him. It took all the effort Canada could muster to stop himself from shaking as he slowly, somberly stood up.

"What is that supposed to mean?" The sound of Canada's own voice surprised him. It sounded... confident. Challenging. It even came out precise and clear. Canada tried to imitate America's fortitude in his both his stance and his expression as he looked at Germany.

"Excuse me?" Germany asked. His eyebrows were raised almost mockingly.

"He said, _'What's that supposed to mean?'_" France's expression matched Germany's. Germany's statement was a clear message to the Allies, and France wasn't about to let it go.

China shuffled, reaching defensively for his frying pan. Russia's violet eyes flicked from Ally to Axis and back again. He simply seemed curious. England seemed taken aback at everyone's sudden emotion, but at the same time he looked ready to fight if necessary.

The tension was so thick you could have cut it. Japan stood up and said "Excuse me. Before anything happens, I would like to remind everyone of the peaceful attitude put towards these meetings."

"_Ve~~~~_..." The Italians had their white flags ready at hand.

Canada gave Japan a quick scan-over with his blue eyes, and then looked to England. England looked at France with both fuzzy caterpillars' raised questioningly. The Frenchman looked towards China, who was extremely desperate and looked to Russia. Russia, who seemed indifferent to the situation, shrugged and said, "Fair enough, no?"

America took a deep, shaky breath. Then another... Then another. He had to let it go... for now. He swore to himself that he wouldn't forget this. He finally stopped shaking and looked expectantly at Canada. Quite frankly, he was full of admiration for how well Canada had handled the situation. America knew he owed his brother a week of dishes for that.

Well... okay, maybe not a _week_…

**

* * *

Hello!~**

*As always thanks, SOOOO much for the favorites, subscriptions, and reviews! They always make my day~ You guys rock!

*Sorry for the later-than-usual update. I'm not so sure how I feel about this chapter, but at this point I'm pretty indifferent. This ending isn't my most favorite ending in the whole entire world. Oh well. I just needed to get the chapter up.

*Who wants a WWCD bracelet? Meeeee! Also, I don't know where China keeps his frying pan. He just keeps it handy so that he can reach for it defensively. Don't you keep your weapon of choice with you at all times?

*Dun dun daaa! What was that all about, Germany? Was it, perhaps... foreshadowing? ( You didn't hear it from me.)

* (Hopefully) You guys can (maybe) expect to see the next chapter up in no later than a week from now (I think).

**A huge thank you to everyone ! As always, Happy Reading!**

*****EDIT: I'd like to thank xTrateltx for pointing out that England calls Japan ****"**Igirisu**", not "**ingurando**".  
**


	6. Chapter 6

"...and, like, I think that this meeting room needs an interior designer. Seriously you guys... beige? Like, ew? Oh, and-"

"Poland..?" A miserable wail came from Lithuania. "We get it..." His voice was soft, trying not to hurt his old friend's feelings. "You've been talking for fifteen minutes about interior design...and, well, that's not a world issue...Please stop? Please?"

Poland blinked a couple of times and said "Whatever." He dramatically fluffed his hair and sat down.

The room collectively sighed out of relief.

Canada was sitting with his legs up on the table and leaning back in his chair (America's usual "Okay, I'm officially bored now" pose) as he watched Poland sit down. _Thank you..._ He silently chimed to the country in his head. Every minute someone else was talking was another minute Canada didn't have to spend in the lime light... and he savored every second without attention. He was **SOOOO** ready for this day to be over. He was already dreaming of making some creamy warm coffee, or maybe some rich hot chocolate and snuggling with Ko... er, Ku...ma? Kuma? Kilimanjaro? Whatever, his little polar bear friend. Maybe they could watch the news or some hockey. Just some time to himself. That's all Canada wanted.

"America... _America_!" France hissed through his teeth.

America instinctively turned to look at France before realizing that the Frenchman was trying to get Canada's attention, not his. America's gaze shifted to Canada who was completely zoning out.

_These meetings are no fun when stupid __**Germany **__runs them._ America was still miffed about the comment on the war. He resisted the urge to pout, in case England noticed...Not that that was likely.

Canada stared at France blankly for a second before realizing with a start that he was supposed to be America. He nervously brushed his bangs to the left and leaned towards France.

"Whaaat?" He whispered obnoxiously. Why was France talking to him now?

"You're _quiet_! What es wrong? This es so odd for you." France's romantically deep blue eyes scanned Canada. Canada couldn't help but notice how they lingered on his hair.

"And what's so wrong about that?" England quietly interrupted before Canada got a chance to respond. He crossed his arms in a gentlemanly manner. "_ I_ quite like it! Now if only he'd get his filthy shoes off the table!"

_Shuddap!_ America bit his lower lip in an attempt to try and keep his cool. There were so many great comebacks that had just popped into his head... but he couldn't say anything to England now. He couldn't do anything to England now either. _This sucks. _America was fed up. This was the stupidest bet ever.

"No one cares." Canada smiled at England as he said it. He wasn't quite sure why... but it just seemed like something Alfred would do. Now to think of an excuse...He turned to France. "No worries dude, I'm good. I stayed up too late last night playing this awesome new video game! It's called Zom-"

"Vho is next?" Germany's commanding voice called out, putting an end to Canada and France's conversation. It made Canada _super _nervous how keen France was today. Why did France even care? Regardless, Canada turned his attention towards Germany with what he hoped looked like a scowl.

After the whole Germany-War-Statement-Thing blew over, the meeting had actually gone in a steadily progressive pace for the first time in... well, for quite possibly the first time ever. Canada guessed it was because everyone was still a little unsettled from the whole scene...Canada certainly was.

The countries looked at each other and waited for someone to speak up. "Everyone vho has vaunted to speak has spoken?" Germany called out once more.

America shuffled in his seat. He hadn't spoken yet! He raised his hand with a faux tepidness, but didn't extend his arm. "Uh, a-actually-"

"Oh~!" Italy raised his hand excitedly. America gave up and grunted in frustration. This Canadian Ninja thing was less like a super power and more like a curse. He crossed his arms as he watched Germany turn to Italy.

"Nein." Was his immediate response. Germany still remembered the last time he had willingly allowed Italy to speak at a world meeting.

Italy stuck his lower lip out and let his arm fall down. "Pastaaa~?" He whined softly.

"_Nein."_ Germany's blue eyes bore into Italy. "Never again."

"Awww." Italy looked extremely disappointed.

Canada followed his gut instinct and saw this as a key opportunity to steal the spotlight. The meeting was done- all there was left to do was to close it up. That would mean that... the bet was over! Canada was so relieved that the most stressful few hours of his life were finally coming to an end! He didn't even care that no one had lost or won- it was finally time to go home! Canada bounced up from his seat in a huge, dramatic gesture. He gave a huge goofy All-American grin and happily proclaimed "Okay dudes, I, the heroic leader, officially declare this super duper boring world meeting over!"

The countries all stood up and stretched. They began to exit the room the way they had entered, some lingering to chat.

Germany started at Canada for a long while before making his way over to Italy and Japan. It wasn't a glare... the look had no emotion to it, really. It still creeped Canada out, but he tried to ignore it.

America was...unsatisfied. Was that the right word? He didn't know. The meeting was over... sooo... the bet was over, right? But no one lost. No one had won, either. It didn't sit right with America. Did that mean that he had wasted a whole meeting being quiet for nothing? He would have to speak to Canada. America stood up only to see that Canada was already by his side, anxiously bouncing on his toes.

"D-Did you, ah, want to talk about something?" America asked in Canada's soft voice.

"Yeah, bro." Canada swung his arm around America's shoulders and casually began walking to someplace more private. The North Americans slowly migrated across the vast room where no one would hear them. They ended up over by Canada's seat by the plant, but spoke in hushed tones anyway.

"So, this is just it?" America whined, breaking character. "That's the end of the bet?"

"I guess so." Canada shrugged. "I'm okay with it- I'm more than ready to go home."

America pouted like a child denied a cookie before dinner. "But that's no fun. That's stupid!"

"It's only fair!" Canada felt like he was arguing with America over a toy like they did when they were young. "Look America, I did my half of the bet, you did yours, and no one noticed." Canada paused to look at France, who just happened to be staring intensely at him from across the room. France held Canada's gaze for a second and turned back to his discussion with England, who made a weary glance at Canada as well. Canada turned a bright shade of pink and looked at his feet.

America turned around to see what the cause of Canada's embarrassment was and saw France. "No one noticed, huuuuh?" America grinned broadly.

"Well, he hasn't said anything!" Canada protested.

"Bummer." America lightly punched Canada jokingly. "Is it officially over? I mean, we haven't left yet, so…"

"Whatever, Alfred! It's my plan to get the heck out of here as soon as possible. Let's go." Canada was so close to home that he could almost taste the maple. This night had been nothing but distress and nerve-wracking social interactions.

"Fine." America rolled his eyes. "But can we drive through on the way home? I'm starving."

Canada just sighed. "Well, sure, I guess. "

As the two made their way to door they heard a very French voice call out "Oi! America, Canada, where ever are you two going?"

"Oh, I'm hungry and forgot to pack burgers!" Canada called out behind him, still inching towards the door. "I'm gonna head back to my place!"

America was acknowledged, so he decided to jump on the opportunity to speak. "Yes, and I-"

"You two get over here for just a moment!" England called out.

_Dammit._ Canada cursed to himself. He shot a worried glance at America who returned it with a triumphant smirk.

"What's up?" Canada tried to sound friendly when he felt anything but.

England's green eyes bore into Canada's face, making him nervous. What did these two Europeans want? England shot France a quick questioning glance before returning his gaze back to Canada.

"So." England shifted his stance. "America. How are you?"

Canada only wondered why England cared for a second before his stomach dropped a little. The room suddenly became five degrees warmer as he realized what was going on. They were testing him! So France _did_ realize that something was up... Canada swallowed nervously. _W-well..._ He thought to himself._ No way am I going to lose now!_

"If by that you mean 'How's your face?', I'm good, thanks." He tried to imitate America mischievous smile. Of course, he was referring to the swift slap in the face he had received before the meeting had begun.

"What is he talking about?" France asked.

"Ahh... Nothing. It's just blabber." England's face was tinged with red embarrassment. He gave France a doubtful look.

Canada looked at America, who looked oblivious to what the Europeans where up to. He was staring intently at the floor, staying politely quiet and out of the way. Maybe if Canada was lucky, America would get caught off guard?

France fiddled with his hair as he turned his attention to America. "Aha, frère, how are you?" His voice had a coy edge to it.

America gave a small, shy smile and said "I-I'm very good, thank you. How're you, France?"

"Mm, fine, fine." France began to stare at America similar to the way England stared at Canada.

America had known exactly what these two euro-goons were trying to do from the second they called him and his brother over. He was secretly hoping Canada hadn't caught on. America's ingenious plan was to stall until he screwed up. Of course, America was only _pretending_ to be oblivious! This would be smooth sailing. He just needed to keep in the act, and he was sure Canada would crack eventually. America's competitive drive was in full swing.

"Ne me dites Canada, comment est-Québec?" France looked smug as he blurted out the French phrase.

_Shit._ America had just had his arrogance verbally smacked out of him... and by a Frenchman at that. _Shitshitshitshit!_ America, for once, was generally silenced and dumbfounded... all at the same time.

Canada had understood France's question as clear as day, but he held his breath as he waited for America to weasel his way out of this situation. His brother was frozen. Canada's heart fluttered with hope. Was this it? Would this be America's downfall?

America's blue eyes looked right into France's as he searched his mind for any and all French he knew. Oui? Maybe that could work... French Toast? No... French poodles... No... French fries? At just the thought America's stomach let out a loud growl.

France, England, and Canada all just stared blankly at America for a second. America blushed (though Canada couldn't tell if it was genuine or not) and sheepishly said "Excusez-moi?"

The four countries continued to stare awkwardly at each other before Canada burst out laughing. He wasn't quite sure why, but it was just... funny. Maybe it was all the pressure, maybe Canada was finally cracking, but he continued to laugh. Before long, France began giggling. Just a little. Once France started, America couldn't help but join in. England just pinched the bridge of his nose as if he were in pain and waited to for the laughter to subside. "Bloody blokes... All of you..."

"Aaahhhh... yeah..." Canada wiped tears from his eyes. He was convinced that he had finally lost it. He needed mental healthcare. And you know where he could get healthcare for _free_? Back home. He gave France and England a flashy smile and not-so-lightly punched America.

"I agree buddy! I'm starved! Let's go." He turned around and America muttered his quick good-byes to France and England.

"You were right." England said to France once the North Americans were out of earshot.

"Oh?" France raised a single eyebrow.

"Oh yes. As I recall, you said 'Either I've had one too many glasses of wine, or thoz two are up to somezing.'" England paused dramatically and turned to France. "You need to lay off the alcohol, frog."

* * *

"Saved by the bell." America grinned with triumph, patting hid stomach. "And England said my eating habits would never get me anywhere! Ha!"

Canada chose to just stay quiet and let America gloat. They were a good distance away from the meeting room, so no one would notice them acting out of character. All they had to do now was walk down the hall and get into the car. Canada was just about to travel further down the hall when America poked him on the shoulder. "Hey. I need to pee. Be right back, okay?"

"What?" Canada was now agitated beyond belief. "Can't you just wait?"

"Nope." America was already heading in the direction of the facility bathroom. "Seriously, it'll take three minutes tops."

Canada groaned. Of course. He leaned up against a wall and drummed his fingers impatiently. He was so tired. He gently released the tension in his neck and let his head rest on the cool surface of the wall. He closed his eyes for just a second. He was enjoying the quiet bliss, but unfortunately, it didn't last long.

Canada opened his eyes to the sound of heavy-set footsteps echoing down the hall. He looked over and sure enough, there was Germany. He had the stance and pace of a marching soldier. Canada stayed quiet and unmoving, keeping true to his nature. For once, he hoped he would simply blend in with the wall. He kept his eyes downcast and hoped Germany would walk right past him.

"America." The heavy German accent came from directly in front of Canada. He felt his stomach drop once more... Why? Why could things never, just once, go his way?

Canada's blue eyes peeked out from just over the rim of his glasses. He adjusted his poster to his full height, but Germany still towered over him.

"Oh, hey dude. Didn't see you there. What's up?" Canada hoped his fear didn't show through his voice.

Germany's expression was a serious one. His eyes showed no humor, nor hate. His mouth was but a line. He opened his mouth to speak, but Canada interrupted him before he could.

"Hey man, if this is about earlier-" Canada had jumped the gun. He was scared... Germany was extremely intimidating.

"Somevaut." Germany's tone was diplomatic. "America, I vuld like to speak to you about our relations."

Canada did NOT want to be in this situation. This was bad. This was really really bad. He could dress like America. He could sound like America. He could even act like America. He could virtually _be_ America in every way, shape, and form, but he could not, repeat, COULD **NOT **decide how America wanted to handle his international relations. Canada refused.

"Yeah... About that." Canada's mind desperately searched for his inner-America. America _always_ talked his way out of situations. Canada had to do the same. "Talking's cool, I'm all for talking. I could talk all day, ya know? Hahaha. But it's just so late. And I'm starving. Saving puppies and leading meetings and being a hero and-"

Germany put his hand on Canada's shoulder. To the innocent bystander, it might've seemed like Germany was making a friendly gesture. An odd gesture, but friendly none-the-less. To Canada, it was all he could do but to refrain from letting out a yelp. Germany's hand was firmly gripping Canada's shoulder... 'firmly' being a complete and total understatement. Germany's arm was exerting so much pressure that Canada struggled to keep his back straight.

"Do not try to veasle your vay out of this." His tone was deep and threatening. "I request you come vif me to discuss things."

Canada was almost numb with fear. He somehow managed to wiggle out from under his grip and choke out "G-get off of me! You c-commie!"

He slowly started inching towards the general direction of the bathroom, keeping his anterior towards Germany. He needed to find America . He needed to get help. He needed to get away.

"Just chill." He was half talking to himself, half to talking to Germany. He continued to slowly walk backwards. He was in full-out panic mode, but he could _not _show fear. He told himself over and over and over to stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm. "Tonight isn't good for me, alright? I've had a long day. We can do this later."

"Nein." Germany took step forward, and Canada took three back. "I have... strict orders. " Something flashed in Germany's hard eyes. Was it... remorse? Sympathy? Whatever it seemed to be, it was gone in an instant. "If you refuse to come vith me voluntarily, I am under strict orders to take you to my house by force."

"No." Canada's resistance was barely audible. "No. No!" He finally gave in to his instincts. He made a mad dash down the hall and towards the bathrooms, running for his life. He ignored the fact that America would be mad that he was such a coward-but at this point, Canada needed to protect himself. He could hear nothing but his pounding heart and heavy footsteps slapping on the tile floor behind him.

Canada ran. He ran faster than he had in a_ long_ time. He lost track of where he was going soon after he had taken flight, but he really didn't care. He ran up down so many halls... He felt dizzy with trauma.

He was huffing and puff when he made a _huge_ mistake. He threw his head back to see Germany, hot on his heels- when he ran at full velocity into a wall. Like life was suddenly in slow motion, he heard the smack of flesh against solid wall, frames crunching and glass shattering. He bounced off the wall and grabbed his head in an instant reflex before losing his balance and falling to the floor. His vision was littered with little black specks, slowly growing and spinning. He closed his eyes and waited for everything to stop moving.

Like he was underwater, Canada just barely heard the tired German accent.

"Nur Amerika, der Narr..."

Canada let out a soft, pained whine before giving into the darkness. "Maple..."

* * *

**Hey There!**

* I first off want to say that I am so so so so so _so_ sorry for updating this about a week later than promised. This chapter was an important one, and I didn't really know how to write it. I wanted to make sure that I got everything in... I'm still not too fond of it, but it needed to be posted.

* Secondly, let's be honest; How many people saw this coming? And how many people hate me for it?_ kolkolkol..._

*I realize this isn't the most _logical_ chapter...

*This. is. SPARTAAAA! But no, really, this chapter is HUGE. Over 3000 words :0 Putting me at over 10,000 words for this story. I'm eating my congratulatory Reeses now.

*THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR REVIEWS, FAVORITES, SUBSCRIPTIONS, AND FOR JUST READING THIS STUPID STORY! It means SO MUCH to me!

*The translations are... Nein = No , frère = brother, "Ne me dites Canada, comment est-Québec" = Tell me Canada, how is Quebec?, "Nur Amerika, der Narr" = Only America, the fool.

**You guys rock. Next chapter will be out soon. My goal is to have it up by this time next week. ONce again, thank you, and Happy Reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

America decided to wash his hands slowly. Very, verrrry slowly. If no one was winning the bet, irritating Canada was the next best thing. He sloooowwwly turned the knob for the hot water to run. He let the clear liquid run over his pale hands, and patiently waited for the temperature to go up.

"At least I won't have to do the dishes..." He mumbled to himself. He really did hate doing the dishes. And he wasn't really loosing anything if Canada DIDN'T kiss France... Just an excuse to pick on his brother.

America adjusted his weight as something donned on him... He messed with Canada a lot. That's what had started this whole ordeal to begin with, right? And Canada had totally been out of his comfort zone today too... He had even stood up to Germany. Maybe kissing France was going too far... It wouldn't be make-out or anything. America wrinkled his nose in disgust at the thought. Ew? That would be like... Like America kissing England! America resisted the urge to gag. No no_ no_, it would just have been a kiss on the cheek or something.

By this time, America deigned the water warm enough. He got his hands good and soaked, and then found the soap dispenser. To America's disappointment, it wasn't foamy soap. He piled the questionable pink gloop in his hand and began to thoroughly scrub. He always wondered... why make the soap pink? It reminded him of that one Ghostbusters movie, and America did _not_ like ghosts. At that time, America heard two sets of footsteps romp past the bathroom doors at breakneck speeds, and turn down the hall.

_What the hell?_ America looked at the closed door as he continued to spread suds all over his hands. He raised a single eyebrow as his brain rushed through the plausible explanations for all if the racket. _Are England and France seriously running around? Even I'm not that bad._ America heard a loud THUNK and he let out a snicker. He imagined France running into a wall. Or better yet, England! How many times had England told him to "Stop running around the house like a nutburger before you run into something!" when he was a kid?

America looked at his hands covered in foamy white suds and wet them a little, making them even more slippery. He rubbed the side of his thumb and his pointer finger together and put them together, making a circle. He admired the rainbowy-swirls dancing on the soapy film for a bit before raising his hand and gently blowing on the surface, making a bubble.

America laughed at himself as he watched the bubble gracefully float to the counter and pop. He was such a child. He tried again, blowing slowly to make a larger bubble. By the fourth or fifth bubble, America began to feel guilty. He had kept Canada waiting long enough... by now -The-Maple-Up was probably ready to rip his brother's head off. America blew one last, tiny bubble for good measure before scrubbing all of the soap off.

He grabbed a paper towel and looked at himself (or maybe he was looking at Canada?)in the miror as he dried his hands. It felt so alien, so abnormal to look _exactly_ like Canada. He fixed his glasses and attempted to make Nantucket stay down, but it wouldn't, not the he expected it to. He sighed as he gave up. Blue eyes examined his clothing, self consciously adjusting his tie and smoothing out non-existent wrinkles. He missed his favorite jacket, even if Canada's was fuzzier on the inside.

To be completely honest, America was looking forward to going home. They'd get drive-thru on the way back, so there was that to look forward to. Once he finally got back to the good ol' US of A, America could just flop down on the couch or something.

America looked around and saw a clock hanging on the wall. From doing business and washing his hands, he had just stalled for fifteen minutes. America smiled to himself as he walked out of the room. He was Alfred F. Jones, master procrastinator.

A master procrastinator... who had no idea where Canada was.

He looked both ways down the hall, but he didn't see anyone or anything out of the ordinary. Whatever the commotion was that had happened earlier must've been long gone by now.

Maybe Canada was already at the car. Canada wouldn't _ditch_ America, would he? America internally freaked out before remembering that Canada didn't have the keys. America patted his pocket and sure enough it jingled in response. America sighed in relief. So if Canada wasn't by the car... where would he be?

Maybe Canada had gone back into the meeting room? Well, no way would Canada do that voluntarily... so that would mean that someone had _called_ him into the meeting room.

America gingerly poked his head into the meeting room to see if he could find Canada. England and France were still there, bickering loudly about alcohol consumption. To America's disappointment, neither of them looked injured... so what was all that noise in the hall then? America pushed it out if his mind. Right now he was focused on finding his brother.

He walked up to England and France and stood there for a second, waiting to be noticed. Why did Canada do that? Why didn't he just say something? But America couldn't break character now. He would just jump in when the timing was right.

"At least I don't sit around drinking _sissy-frufru-rotten-grape juice_!" The Brit sneered at France.

"Und at least et takes me more zan half a glass of wine to make me into a drunken fool!" France retorted.

America decided that now was as good a time as any. _Go for it, buddy._ "Hey there. Have either of you-"

"Are you suggesting that I can't hold my liquor? I can _to_ hold my liquor, thank you very much!" England yelled, ignoring poor America entirely.

"Oh-ho-ho, pardon moi! Zen you must act like a drunken pirate all of ze time, my bad!"

_You did act like a pirate once._ America held back the comment and instead sighed. He knew where this was going.

"_I_ am a gentleman! At least _I_ do not go around molesting innocent bystanders!" England was a deep shade of red.

"Are you sugesting zat I _do_?" France sounded highly offended.

_But you do…_ America bit his tongue once more. Saying that wouldn't be very polite... "Excuse me?" He said, a little louder.

"Oh pleaaaaasee! You're a complete and total wanker, frog, and you know it!"

"A wanker?"

"Yes! A bloody wanker, the biggest one I've ever known!"

" Fine! Und do tell, how are your unicorns and pixies doing?" France asked with a mocking sneer.

America felt like hitting his head against the wall. They were painfully oblivious. "England... Arthur..? France... Francis!" America looked at both of them. Did they REALLY not see him?

"Just fine! Thank you for asking!" England yelled.

"Will you two hurry up and make out already?" America figured that if he said anything in Canada's voice, it would never be heard. He didn't have the time or the patience for this.

England was about to attack France when America stepped directly between them.

"Hi." America looked at England, then at France, then back to England.

"Oh, why, hello there, ah..." England trailed off.

"Canada." France finished for him. "We did not see you zhere."

"I know." America gave a painfully polite smile. He wanted to smack them. "Have either of you seen Alfred?"

"I haven't." England shrugged.

"Not since you two left zhe room earlier." France added.

America folded his arms across his chest and bit his bottom lip. His eyes scanned he room for countries still remaining. That meant that all of the countries still in the meeting room...England, France, Russia, China, Austria, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Romano and Japan wouldn't have seen his brother either. It was safe to assume the rest of the countries had already left.

"Thanks anyway." America gave a polite little wave and walked back out of the room. His heart skipped a beat as he realized that Germany wasn't in the meeting room... meaning he had already left. America nervously laughed in spite of himself... He could be so paranoid sometimes. Germany wouldn't touch a hair on Canada's head... Why would he? Kidnapping was beyond Germany. Now, Russia, on the other hand, would be psycho enough to do that... but Russia was still in the meeting room.

America leaned up against the wall outside of the meeting room as his mind filed through the various options as to where Canada could be...The thought that Germany may have done something to Canada didn't sit right with America. It kept nagging at the back of his head whenever he tried to think of other places Canada could be. America was too anxious to just stand there... He was just being paranoid was all. Everything would be fine.

America decided to walk around for a bit, just to settle his nerves. He casually wandered past the bathroom. Maybe Canada had gone in there looking for America? America highly doubted it. He kept walking aimlessly down the different halls, giving into anxious thoughts hammering his mind. _Germany... Canada... What were Germany's exact words?... Not a threat my ass. If that wasn't a threat, then I'm a vegetarian... And then... what was all that noise, if it wasn't France and England?  
_  
America's mind instantly clicked. His heart skipped a beat as he remembered hearing someone chasing someone else. No... America nervously fidgeted with his tie again. He was lost in deep though when the crunch of something underfoot caught his attention.

The beige tile floor was littered with shattered glass. He knew he had further deformed the thin metal frames when he stepped on them, but they now resembled scraps of tin foil. America felt numb with shock as he tenderly picked up the deformed frames.

America had just found Canada's glasses. There was no mistaking it. His stomach sank and his heart filled with rage.

Nothing could describe the flurry of emotions he felt. Nothing. It was a burning rage. How _dare_ Germany pull a stunt as low as kidnapping? How _dare_ that communist bastard even _think _about doing this? All rage was suddenly snuffed out as it was replaced with a sinking, sickening, cold guilt. Everything Germany was doing to Canada was meant for America. _He_ should be the one kidnapped, not Canada. Canada shouldn't be involved at all... The two clashing emotions were fighting for dominance. America felt sick and dizzy.

In his confusion, America knew two things. He was going to be the hero. He owed that to Canada...No. He owed that to _Matthew Williams, _his_ brother_. He was going to rescue Mattie no matter _what_.

The second thing America knew was this; If anything, anything at all happened to Canada…He would never forgive himself.

America clutched his brother's broken frames in trembling hands as he walked back to the meeting room. America coped with his emotions in the easiest way he knew how; by replacing his insecurities with arrogance. He wasn't going to let this happen. He was going to fix everything. He would swoop in, kick German ass, and be the hero. But even America's ego knew he couldn't do it alone.

He opened the door to the meeting room once more and felt a little embarrassed as relief swept over him. Other countries were still here. France was chit-chatting with Russia and China, and most importantly, England was still here.

The British man was bent over, packing up his scrap papers into a briefcase and trying to make the area where he was sitting appear "tidy". It was part of his gentlemanly-thing.

America didn't think twice before walking over to Britain. He placed his hand on Britain's shoulder, causing the him to jump a bit before whipping around to face America. At first his expression was harsh, his mouth agape, no doubt ready to spit out stinging words but softened the instant he saw the dead serious look on America's face.

England came to his full height, his emerald eyes never leaving America's. Something seemed to have donned on him. England gently touched America's hand on his shoulder. "...Alfred?...Is that you?" He asked gently, tentatively. "...What…" He trailed off.

America broke eye contact and tried to keep his voice low and steady."Arthur...I screwed up. Matthew needs our help."

**

* * *

Hello~**

*THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING, FAVORITE-ING, SUBSCRIBING, REVIEWING, AND WHATEVER ELSE YOU MAY HAVE DONE. YOU ARE AWESOMER THAN PRUSSIA AND AMERICA COMBINED.

*I don't like it. I don't know why, I'm just not feeling this chapter. But I need to post it, so… here you go.

**Yeah, I'm tired right now. You'll see the next chapter sooner or later, I promise! Thank you for EVERYTHING! **

**Happy Reading~!**


	8. Chapter 8

Matthew woke up in an awful mood...but he wasn't quite sure why. His head was throbbing, his neck was sore and he felt like he was being squeezed. His mouth had a disgusting rusty taste and he was exhausted beyond belief. He cracked open one eye and waited for his vision to adjust. When it didn't, he opened both eyes in confusion and begrudgingly left his blissfully ignorant world of sleep.

All grogginess instantly vanished when Canada remembered what had happened. It all flooded back to him. The bet. The threats. The chase. The... complete and total _epic fail_. How had Canada allowed himself to be captured so easily?

Matthew was overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions. Fear was in there somewhere, but it was almost equally matched with rage and even embarrassment. He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts, but he regretted that instantly. His aching head did not welcome the movement. Canada inhaled sharply at the sudden pain and wave of dizziness, but it passed. He decided to keep his eyes closed until he could get things sorted out.

First off, his head hurt because he was running from Germany...And because walls tend to be solid. He was running from Germany because Germany wanted to "discuss" things. Germany wanted to "discuss" things because he thought Canada was America. Germany mistook Canada for America because the two brothers had made a bet and switched for the day.

Next on the important-information-to-recall list was the issue of where Canada was. Canada opened his eyes again and, unfortunately, everything was still blurry. He wondered with frustration why he couldn't see before he realized that his glasses must've broke when he ran into the wall.

"Maple sap!" He hissed. Today wasn't his day.

He still made an attempt to try and figure out where he was. He assumed that he was being held captive in Germany's house. Because Canada was near-sighted, he couldn't really make out the details of anything more than three feet away. He could make out the basic shapes and colors, but that was about it.

He was in a relatively small room with off-white walls and no windows... or at least Canada didn't _think _there were any windows. It was well lit by a single triangle on top of what Canada could only guess was a dresser of some sorts. The floor was a light brown, maybe made out of wood? Canada curiously tapped his foot against the floor and listened to the familiar click. Yup, it was wood. There wasn't much else to the room other than the dresser. If Canada craned his neck, he could see a dark blob just out of the corner of his eye. He assumed it was the door.

Canada bit his lower lip in worry. This information didn't seem to help much, but it was better than nothing. Canada swallowed nervously. He was being held captive in Germany's house... as America. Canada's heart fluttered in horror at the realization. Canada wasn't just pretending to be America anymore. He _had_ to be America. Or... or... Well, Canada honestly didn't know what would happen if he revealed that he wasn't actually America... but he didn't want to find out.

Canada went to touch his aching head only to discover that he couldn't move his arms. He himself was sitting in large wooden chair; or rather, Canada was practically bound to the chair. He struggled against the ropes a bit before deciding it was pointless. Well, he knew his head hurt, and there wasn't much more to it. He guessed that the fall had hurt him more than the actual crash. His eye-sight sucked, but his face felt fine. Other than that, he was... okay.

Okay...? _Okay_? He was currently sitting in an enemy house as a prisoner, and he thought he was _okay_? The very thought had just kindled a fire inside the Canadian. He was mad at himself. _How_ had he allowed this to happen? He was Canada! He was powerful! And he was _going_ to get out of this situation! The anger was gradually replaced with a rash pride. He was CANADA! And he didn't _care_ if no one else knew it! Canada would show Germany. He was expecting American force; now he'd give him a taste of maple-flavored butt-whooping and see how he liked it! Canada would be fine. _I'll... I'll escape! The question only question is... how?_

Canada began to squirm in the chair, but he wasn't sure if he was doing anything to help his cause.

Canada looked around again, in search of something, anything that he could use to get out of the chair. It's not like he could've seen anything anyway. No fuzzy shapes had moved. Canada paused in his struggles to listen for footsteps or any sounds of life, but he was only met with an awkward silence.

Wasn't this the part where Germany dramatically opened the door and told all if his evil plans to Canada? Canada blinked a couple of times and _gently_ shook his head. He was spending too much time with America...or maybe as America. That kind of thing only happened in movies... And besides, Canada didn't want to see Germany.

Canada thought about what would happen once he met Germany again. He came to terms with the fact that he would have to act exactly like America..._O-o-or else.-_Canada gulped. If he could put on an act in front of all of the nations, he could do it in front of just one, right?

_I have too._ Canada tried convincing himself. _There's no other option._ Canada listened to the silence for a while as he focused on the anxious knot in his stomach. He tried to think if things other than when he and Germany would meet. _I... I wonder if anyone... has noticed me missing?_ Canada wouldn't be surprised if no one had. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in his friends or family... It was just... well... he _was_ Canada... _I wonder what Al_-

Canada instantly stiffened as he heard heavy footsteps tapping on the wood floor. He took a deep breath and tried to channel his inner-Alfred. This was it... again.

He heard the footsteps stop and the metallic click of a door unlocking behind him. He heard the door swing open, and he could practically feel the tension in the room increase tenfold when Germany stepped it.

"You're finally avake." The deep German voice sounded annoyed. "About time."

Canada kept a completely impassive face, staring blankly at the wall in front of him.

"I'm sorry." Canada made extra sure NOT to say 'soory'( the correct pronunciation of the word). His voice was surprisingly loud and daring, dripping with sarcasm. "I would've regained consciousness sooner had I known you were waiting on me."

It took everything Canada had NOT to jump when Germany threateningly placed his heavy hand on Canada's shoulder. He felt Germany lean down low. He could feel hot breath on his neck, but he refused to look over.

"I could not be so cocky if I vere _you_." Germany's voice rang close in Canada's ear, less than a whisper. His breath smelled surprisingly sober.

"Yeah, well, you're _not_ me." Canada violently shrugged his shoulder to try and get Germany to release him, but the German only tightened his grip. Canada struggled further. "Let go of me, you damn commie!" He whipped his head around to see a slightly fuzzy German figure. He could make out the pale complexion and the piercing blue orbs along with the blonde hair, but he couldn't read his exact emotion. He didn't care; Canada glared anyway, looking Germany dead in the eyes. "What do you want?"

"I vaunt to discuss things." Germany's voice was deep and commanding. It's vagueness only angered Canada further.

"And is _this_ how you communist bastards have all of your little 'discussions'?" Canada surprised himself with the intensity of his tone.

"Do _not_ insult me again!" Germany released his grip on Canada only to hit him in the head. Canada couldn't help but take a sharp gasp at the sudden pain that surged through his body at the impact. _**Mayyyypleeeeee**__!_ He screamed in his mind. Why did Germany have to hit him in the _head_? But Canada wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Or what? Are you going to cut my arm off and see if it grows back?"Canada braced himself for another whack, but was surprised when he didn't receive it. He looked at Germany.

From what he could tell, the German had taken a sudden interest in staring at the wall...Was there a window there? No... Maybe Germany was considering punching it. Canada quickly went back to staring at the wall.

"I was given strict orders _not_ to injure you further." Germany was struggling to talk with his inside-voice. "I take my orders VERY seriously! Do NOT give me reason to _BREAK my orders._"

Canada continued to hold his head high, his back straight. He imagined his brother doing exactly that in this situation.

"_What_ do you _want_?" Canada repeated again, quietly... like whenever Alfred was talking about past battles or casualties. That voice was reserved for dead serious moments.

Canada couldn't help but let out a yelp of surprise as Germany whipped Canada's chair around so that he had no other choice but to look Germany square in the face. Germany had both hands on either side of the chair so that he was literally looming over the Canadian. Canada fought his fear and continued to glare boldly.

"The United States of America is going to drop its alliance with the France, Britain, Russia and China. It is going to become neutral in World War Two. It will have no part of it any longer."

Canada hated how Germany made is sound as if it wasn't an option. Being an Ally himself, the idea of America leaving the Allies made him sick to his stomach. America had incredible strength…Who knows what would happen if he suddenly dropped out of the war. Canada couldn't begin to imagine what America's reaction to Germany's demand would've been, but he mustered would he could.

Canada leaned in towards Germany and noticed how his face become more into focus. Canada could see with clarity the look of determination in Germany's eyes, the look of dominating power. Canada wished his eye-sight was worse. His voice was still quiet, but it was acute with resistance. "Never."

Germany let go of the chair and took a step back, smirking. "I thought you vould say something like that. This is vhy I have a taken the precautions I have." Germany flicked the ropes binding Canada back. "Things are going to change in the var, Mr. Jones, whether you like it or not. "

Canada didn't get it. This was the mighty Germany's evil plan? There had to be more to it.

"What? You think some _ropes_ are going to make me change my mind? Do you even _know_ who I am? I'm the _United States of America_!" Canada paused to swallow nervously. _No I'm not._

Germany's stance remained unchanged. Canada wished desperately he could read Germany's facial expressions. His body language wasn't giving anything away.

Before Germany could say anything, there was a rapid and desperate knocking on the door. Canada raised a single eyebrow as he gazed from the dark rectangle and back to the fuzzy man. Germany just stood there in hesitation… maybe in horror?

When the knocking continued, Germany heaved a huge sigh and cracked open the door. There was instantly a loud Italian fuss.

"**Germany**_Germany_**Germany**_Germany__**!"**_

"Go avay!" Germany slammed the door in Italy's face.

The persistent knocking turned into a desperate pounding at the door.

Canada stared blankly at Germany, whose pale face was quickly turning red. The question was; was it from embarrassment, or anger?

"_DOITSUUUUUUU!_" Italy could be heard loud and clear through the door.

"You can get that, ya know. I'll wait, promise." Canada imitated America's cocky wit with ease. Seeing Germany flustered was... well, funny.

"_Shuddup_." Germany hissed. He put his gloved hand up to his face and Canada heard a deep, defeated sigh. He watched Germany begrudgingly walk over to the door all the way. Canada tried to get a glance of Italy, but he couldn't. Germany's bulky body blocked most of the doorframe.

"Vaut do you vaunt, Italy?"

"Well, I couldn't help but notice that it was dinner time~!" Italy sounded excited. "And I thought to myself, I thought, 'Whya don't I have dinner with Germany?' So here I am! I even brought alllll of the supplies and some white flags just in case!"

"You're gonna need white flags!" Canada called out loudly. He saw a fuzzy reddish-brown circle appear over Germany's shoulder for a brief second as the Italian jumped to see who had spoken. He then pushed past an unsuspecting Germany and scampered up to Canada. He began to poke the Canadian in awe, just to make sure he was real. Canada wasn't quite sure how to respond. Up close, Canada could make out huge amber eyes and a blue suit. Italy smelled like flour and garlic.

"Quit it." Canada attempted to kick Italy, but the cowardly nation ran away before he was able to make contact.

"Aaaah! I surrender!" A bright blue fuzzy man hid behind a larger greenish-gray one.

Germany heaved yet another large sigh and attempted to push Italy back out of the room. "Go tell Japan that I-"

"_Ve~~~~!_" Italy scrambled out from behind his Germany-shield and got within poking distance of Canada again. "Wow Germany! You captured Mr. Canada?"

Canada's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He was FINALLY recognized NOW, of all times? He acted solely on panic and instinct. A single word escaped his mouth; "Who?"

The broad smile on Italy's face shrunk a little in thought. "Ummmmmmm... What was the question?"

"Italia..." Germany facepalm'd. "Ignore him."

"_Oooooh._ Wow Germany! I remember now, this is Mr. America! YA-HOO! You captured ? You'rea so strong, Germany!" Canada looked at Germany in irritation, who was only now a flaming shade of red. He had heard stories about what Italy was like, but this….

"Let's give him some pasta! Come on, I already have a pot boiling!" Italy began tugging on Germany's arm, but Germany didn't budge.

"V-vaut? Nien! Italia! Let go of me this instant! I vaus in the middle of-"

"Gerrrrmmmaannnyyyy!" Italy whined again, tugging harder and harder towards the door. "It's _pastaaaaa_! Whatsa more important?"

"Italia! Release me at once!" Germany tried to shake Italy off, but he couldn't. "ITALIAA! LET G-AUUUH!" Italy had tugged at Germany just the right moment, catching him off guard and causing him to fall.

"Pastaaaaaa~!" Italy yelled as he dragged a dumbfounded Germany out of the door. With flailing arms, Germany managed to clutch the door and slam it shut before being taken to the kitchen.

Canada stared at the door. He just stared.

"What... What the _hell_?" He mumbled. "Hosers..." Canada slumped back in the chair and gazed at the ceiling as he let out a huge sigh. This was turning out to be the longest day ever.

* * *

**0 Hai!**

*Forgive my lazy proofreading skills. I didn't put much effort into hunting for errors today. In other news, this one is a little longer than usual. I wanted to keep the story light-hearted and funny, like the show. How'd I do?

*After the good reaction to the last chapter, I was really excited to get this one up. Who doesn't want a taste of maple-flavored-butt-whooping? I'll be wrapping up the story soon! You'll see the next chapter soon!

**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT! SOOOOO MUCH. Every Follow and Favorite and Review and whatever else you guys do, even if it's just reading this stupid little story, makes my day every time. THANK YOU!**


	9. Chapter 9

The Allies where in sitting in a tight circle on the floor in the middle of the wide meeting room. England had gathered them soon after Alfred had confronted him about the missing Canadian. Presently, America stood in the middle of the group fully dressed as Canada.

America still felt like crap. His stomach was a guilty knot and his mind was scattered. Every few seconds he had to remind himself of the situation. Canada was gone. Germany took him. He had to fix things. He had too. America shuffled where he stood nervously... He couldn't let the other nations pick up on how weak he felt. He just... He just couldn't. He swallowed and pushed aside all his emotions to focus on what he had to do right now; he had to find a way to fix everything.

"I have a confession." America explained to England, France, Russia and China. At least it felt good to speak in his normal voice instead of Canada's soft one. He heroically flung off Canada's fuzzy jacket and ran a hand through his golden hair so that it fell back to its natural part. Nantucket stubbornly flung back up.

"Must you be so melodramatic?" England mumbled under his breath. He was the only other nation besides America who knew where Canada was, and he didn't like it one bit. England wanted America to hurry up and get to the point so they could help...before it was too late.

"_HA_! Ohhohon!" France let out the triumphant laugh and pointed at America while shaking Britain violently. "I told you! I knew it! Oh-hohoho, I knew those two-"

"Get off of me!" England slapped France's hand away. England was _not _in the mood.

"Take it back!" France continued to jab at England, a gloating smile spread across his face. "Say 'Francis isn't a drunk and is _extremely_ sexy'. _Dites-le_!"

"Francis, if you know what's good for you, you will cease this behavior."

France blinked, disappointed. The lack of anger in England's tone was... dissatisfying. Actually, there was a lack of any emotion in his voice…England sounded numb. France pouted and turned back to America, who was staring at the floor waiting for everyone to quite down. The Frenchman's pout turned into a thin, concerned frown. "What's all this, Angleterre?" France asked quietly.

"You'll find out soon enough." England hissed.

"Fine. You don't have to be so snippy."

"I'm not snippy!" England snapped. Why couldn't France just shut up?

While England and France continued prattle, Russia turned to China with innocent purple eyes.

"What does Mr. America want?"

China blinked a few times before looking at America and then looking back to Russia. "Actually, I do not know. A confession, aru?...Maybe he is trying tell us that…. he is gay?"

"Ooooh, da!" Russia's eyes lit up as he turned back to America with interest.

"Uh... Helllooo?" America decided he had waited long enough. He waved hand to regain order... mainly to silence England and France. "It's true." He paused dramatically. (China's face turned the same shade of red as his flag.) "Canada and I switched places today!"

France give a smug glance in England's direction, but England didn't notice. France sighed and lightly bit his lip. What was wrong?

"Who?" Russia asked innocently.

America ignored the jolt of anger he felt. How dare Russia say something stupid like that _now_? "Canada. You know... looks exactly like me... says 'ey'... "

Russia stared at America with blank purple eyes.

"Maple syrup?" America tried.

"Oh, da!" Russia exclaimed with a sudden realization. "I know him."

"Right. Well, today, Germany made a clear threat to the Allies. And it wasn't an empty threat, either. He..." America paused to swallow guiltily. He silently scolded himself for faltering. "He nation-napped Canada!"

"Oh Lord..." England rolled his eyes. How could America go from being so serious one second to making up stupid phrases the next? China seemed generally shocked, but remained quiet. Russia looked thoughtful, but disinterested. A dramatic gasp came from France. He looked at England for verification. The gentleman just somberly stared back.

"Mon petit Canada?... But why?"

America sighed. "I don't quite know..." He gained a sudden fascination with the floor. "Germany is under the impression that Canada is me." America hated the guilty surge he felt. "But... but I do know one thing! We need to save him!"

"Of course!" France exclaimed, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh, what a cruel world! Whatever could Germany be doing to my dearest Matthew?"

America didn't want to think about that.

England was obviously unsettled by Canada's disappearance, and that damn frog talking wasn't helping. "_Your _Matthew?" Britain's tone was acidic. "_I _raised him!"

"_You _took him from me!" France pointed an accusing finger at England.

"You bloody bet I di-"

"Dude! Would you two _please_ just shut up!" America tried to hide the desperation in his voice with annoyance. "We don't have time for this!"

The two older nations mumbled their apologies. England cleared his throat.

"I never thought I'd say this and expect a valid answer, but... What's the plan, America?" Emerald green eyes where lit with an anxious curiosity.

"Well..." America's stomach did a flip. "To be honest, I don't have a plan. Not at the moment, anyway." America kept his eyes glued to the floor as the gears started turning in his head. The other countries were quiet…too quiet. America liked to think that it was out of shock because their fearlessly heroic leader wasn't being very heroic at the moment. He sat back down in the circle of Allies and crossed his arms thoughtfully.

"I could use my magic." England offered after a while, trying to aid America's thinking process. France snorted loudly, then quickly covered his mouth with his hand to prevent any further outbursts.

"Da! Curses are good." Russia's eyes had a terrifying excitement to them at the mention of curses. "I could use my magic water stick as well!"

"I will do whatever is necessary, as long as I don't have to put myself in too much danger, aru." China attempted to helpfully offer.

America put some effort into giving a polite smile. "Thanks guys. Those all sound good..." America rubbed his eyes under his glasses. He needed to pull himself together... He just couldn't _think_ right now, and he was wasting time he didn't have.

"Okay." He announced out loud, mainly talking to himself. "If I was captured by Germany, where would I be?"

"In his home." France answered immediately. "In his cell room, in his basement." France paused, before frantically adding "Not that I would know, I mean, that's just my first guess."

Everyone in the room knew how France knew where the cell room was.

"Okay, cell room it is. We would need to get into Germany's house, get into his cell room, get Matthew and then get out. How?"

"My pipe!" Russia called out in a sing-song voice.

"Why not try to give Germany some bad take-out?" China nodded his head knowingly. "That'll put him out for at least ten minutes. But I make excellent food- perhaps England can prepare food styled after my delicious cuisine, aru."

"Oi! Are you saying my cooking would be used to _poison_ the enemy?"

"Yup." America couldn't help but crack a tiny smile when England glared at him. Old habits die hard.

"Why not try to seduce him?" France suggested casually.

The other countries could only stare.

"What? Romance cannot solve all problems?"

"Uh, no. I think. You talk weird." America's head hurt. He felt so sick…sick of everything. He hated that! Normally he would love meetings like this...

"What am I doing?" America mumbled under his breath.

"Come again?" Britain asked, one bushy eyebrow raised in inquiry.

America chuckled bitterly and shook his head. "What am I doing?" He said again, loud enough for everyone to hear.

When no one responded, America decided to continue through a somber smirk. "I'm Alfred F. Jones- The United States of America. And... And I'm the hero, god damn it." America closed his eyes for a bit, thinking hard. He was the hero, god damn it, and he could never give up hope. He simply refused to. He refused to in 1776, he refused to in 1812, he refused to in all of his darkest moments (and this certainly wasn't one of his darkest).He opened his eyes to see his allies looking at him, concerned. America met their stares with an austere confidence-He refused to give up hope now. "So, how're we going to save Canada?" He asked through a genuinely confident grin. Nothing was ever hopeless.

"My _magic_." England insisted roughly, glaring green eyes daring France to make a comment. " I could make one of us invisible, or-"

"THAT'S IT!" America clapped his hands together as his mind surged with inspiration. He was a genius! He grabbed Canada's fuzzy beige jacket on the floor and sprung up, putting it back on hastily.

"...what are you doing? This is no time for a fashion-" France was cut off by America enthusiastically running towards the door. He stopped short to look back at his allies.

"Well, come on! Let's go rescue Canada!"

The other four nations stared at America in dumbfounded silence.

"I'll use my Canadian Ninja superpowers!" America explained through a broad grin.

America was once again met with silence. He rolled his eyes. How could they not understand his incredible brilliance?

"I'll dress up like Canada again and sneak into Germany's house to rescue Mattie! It's foolproof."

France sighed as he stood up from the floor shaking his head. "I would not call that foolproof, my friend."

"He's right, for once." England stood up from the ground in a gentlemanly manner. "Dressing like Canada doesn't make you invisible."

"You'd be surprised." America said flatly. The irony was almost insufferable. "So come on! We're going to Germany!"

"That's great for you, aru~." China interjected. "But what are the rest of us supposed to do while you go on a suicide mission?"

"It's _not_ a suicide mission." America's tone was a serious one. He had full faith in himself… He had too. "And for your information, you Russia France and England are going to back me up. I thought that was a given."

* * *

**A/N**

**Hi everyone!**

***I AM SOOO SORRY ALSKDLASKDJLA;KFN. **I didn't mean to take so long in posting this! I had to keep tweaking it until it felt right.. and for whatever reason, that took some time with this chapter.

***Please excuse the anachronism of this Fan Fic.** None of this is historically cannon... at all. I'm just making it up as I go : D

***I got a Deviant Art account!** I'm AfishLovesAlfred there. Find me! I drew picture of what America and Canada look like switched.

*** And...Que Hero-Angst!** I hope this isn't dripping with Hero-angst. It wasn't supposed to. This chapter is just extremely fluffy character development. I'm sorry it was short! I have a week off now (Thanksgiving! Nomnom) so I'll be writing like crazy~!

**THANK YOU, EVERYONE! This thing has 70 reviews! SEVENTY! That's insane! I don't even know how many views, favorites, or subscriptions this has. You guys are more awesome than Prussia- and that's a crapload of awesome. **

**As always, Happy reading! **

_(Oh, and a happy Thanksgiving! Unless your Canadian... or British... or French.. Or.. you know, not American.) _


	10. Chapter 10

There were multiple words to describe Canada's situation. "Suckish" was one of them. "Terrifying" , "Confusing" , and "Stupid" were others.

Canada was in Germany's house, dressed as America and tied to a chair. The world- or rather, the room he was being held in- was a fuzzy mess to the poor Canadian. His glasses had been destroyed earlier. His head still hurt from his previous collision with the wall, and his arms and chest ached from the tight ropes bounding Canada to the stupid chair.

Delicious smells of garlic and pasta sauce flooded the house. Italy had come over and forced Germany into having dinner with him. As much as Canada hated to admit it, he was actually pretty thankful that Italy had interrupted... Otherwise, Canada wasn't sure what condition he would be in right now.

It wasn't that Canada was afraid of Germany. "Afraid" wasn't the right word. It was just common sense among the nations that Germany was capable of horrible, horrible things… And Canada knew that all too well. Maybe it was a fear of the unknown that ate away at his already rattled nerves. It made him more anxious every second.

He wasn't sure what he could do… he was just sitting the middle of an almost empty room… waiting for Germany to return. It was almost awkward. Canada was powerless in the situation, and he hated it. _Not that I had much power to begin with_…. A small, quiet voice in the back of Canada's head whispered. He wanted to deny it with every fiber of his being but... realistically... he couldn't. He didn't have the power to deny his brother a stupid bet. He didn't have the power to overcome Germany… Hell, he didn't even try to defend himself against Germany. _I just ran like a coward_... Canada couldn't even break the ropes confining him now. Maybe it was better to just…give up.

His stomach dropped in a guilty whirl and his heart fluttered with stubborn indignation. How could he ever think that?

America would never give up.

_America would never have been captured._

Ignoring his inner doubt, Canada smirked a little as he imagined the look on America's face at the words 'give up'. He was almost certain that the words weren't in his brother's vocabulary. But Canada's face soon fell back to a somber frown as he remembered the huge responsibility on his shoulders. He held the reputation and ultimately the fate of the United States of America in his hands… it was a lot to bear. His mind quickly flicked to thinking about his brother as a distraction. What was America doing now?..._Has he even noticed that I've gone missing?_

Canada shook his head and sighed. He had been held prisoner for too long. All these negative thoughts and emotions where clogging his mind. Of course none of that was true!... _Or was it?_ Sure, America was forgetful sometimes... but _then again, lots of countries are forgetful when it comes to me_... Canada had to focus on something else before he lost his mind completely.

The optimistic word "escape" came to mind in an instant. He looked down at the rope confining him, and he could kinda-sorta see it. As far as Canada could tell, it looked like normal rope.  
He squirmed a bit, but the ropes didn't budge.

_What am I doing?_

Canada didn't want to answer his own question (it was rhetorical anyway). He only continued to struggle with his confinements. He began thrashing violently in stubborn desperation, but the only thing he gained from that was an aching sting in his arms.

_ It's pointless…_ His doubt hissed.

He refused to acknowledge it. He continued to flail and struggle as quietly as he could so Germany wouldn't hear.

"I... I can do this..." Canada muttered to himself, even though he didn't believe it. As his struggle slowly died, a helpless feeling was sinking in. "I... I can..." Canada's already soft voice fell silent. …._I can't. And what would my brother say aboot that?  
_  
Canada was tired...tired from the lost effort, from the stress of the day, from the emotions that had been badgering him nonstop for the last few hours.

"But I can't rest now..." He mumbled to himself. Who else was there to mumble to?

Resting now would only be another sign of weakness, _something I don't need..._ and what if Germany was to walk in while Canada was defenselessly asleep? _Maybe he'd take pity._ The doubtful voice whispered with a sarcastic edge.

"No no, no sleeping." Canada blinked his eyes a couple times experimentally; to see if that would make the sleep go away. It didn't.

He cautiously closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was just relaxing. He was just going to clear is head for a few minutes. He slowly inhaled, and sloooowly exhaled. He tried to clear his mind and focus on his breathing. In, out, in, out... he took one deep breath after another... after another... after another... until the Canadian was fast asleep.

* * *

_"I'mmmm stronger than yoooou are!" The familiar high-pitched voice rang through Canada's little ears in a harsh and taunting tone._

_A young Canadian felt his cheeks flush as he stomped his foot. "I am just as strong as you are, Alfred!"_

_The blond British colony rolled his bright blue eyes. "Yeah right! Can you lift a __**buffalo**__?"_

_Canada blinked once. "...W-Well..." He could lift Kumajiro...Sorta... though most of the time the polar bear preferred to walk as opposed to being dragged. "I can carry bear..."_

_Alfred smirked and leaned in towards his brother Matthew. They couldn't have been older than six in human years. "Nuh-uh!"_

_Young Matthew felt hot tears welling up in his eyes. He couldn't help it. "Ya-huh! I'm strong!"_

_"Not as strong as me~" America taunted relentlessly._

_"I-I am too!" Canada didn't want to cry... he really didn't..._

_"I'm stronger than yoooou are! I'm stronger than yoooou are!" America began prancing around his brother, making faces and singing his annoying song. "I'm stronger than yooou are! I'm stronger than yooooou-"_

_"Brother, stop it!" Canada finally couldn't take it anymore. He ran off wailing, not even bothering to wipe the tears out of his eyes. He didn't know where he was going but he didn't care- not until he was suddenly yanked into the air and embraced into a hug._

_"Shhh-sh-sh, lad! What's gotten into you?" The deep, soft British accent had a comforting ring to it, but it didn't stop the tears. Canada buried his face into England's shoulder._

_"B-B-brother... e-e-est si... méchant ...avec-c-c...m-moi!" England could make out just enough of what the sniveling little boy was saying to know that it wasn't English. He placed his colony gently on the floor and got down on his knees so he could look Canada in the eyes._

_"Matthew, you aren't with Francis anymore. Can you repeat that in English please?" For a second, it looked like the little colony was going to cry harder, but he just sniffed and mumbled "Alfred..."_

_Britain let out an exasperated sigh and called Alfred over. The colony came running over with a smile before he saw his brother crying... that smile quickly vanished at the prospect of trouble._

_"What did you do?" England's voice lacked its usual gentle tone that he used with the boy._

_Alfred put his hands behind his back and kicked at the ground. "Nothin'..."_

_England wasn't buying it._

_"Y-you called me w-w-weak!" Matthew said, still crying._

_"Nu-UH!" Alfred stopped kicking at the ground and look up defensively. "All I said was that you ain't as strong as me."_

_"Don't say 'ain't' Alfred, it's unbecoming. And why would you say such a thing to your brother?" England's voice had a growing edge to it._

_Alfred cross his arms and let out a huff. "Because it's true."_

_Matthew let out a fresh batch of tears at his brothers stinging words. He was too strong! He was too!_

_England let out a quick, exasperated sigh. He scooped up both of the tiny colonies, one in each arm, and found a chair to sit down in._

_"Now listen carefully." Britain said in a not-unfriendly tone. He gently shook the arm he held an indignant America in. "Both of you. You are both very young. What strength you have now may be gone in the future." He looked at Alfred, who refused to look up from his crossed arms. "Likewise, there is always room to improve and grow." He bounced Matthew a little, who at least had stopped crying._

_It happened in an instant. The cozy childhood scene melted and gave way to dark, billowing smoke. It consumed his vision with an opaque blackness. Canada's lungs craved fresh air and his eyes watered. He could feel a familiar arm wrapped around his shoulder, but it lacked the protective warmth it had what seemed only seconds ago. The same British voice once full of sagacity was now whispering to Canada in a low malicious tone, like that of a con man._

_"Help me, Matthew. Come help me burn it." The accented voice whispered softly. Canada cringed as he realized what was happening... It was that day. He never wanted to relive that day. He wanted to run from the British voice, from the smoke and from the memories, but he was paralyzed. "Come now Matthew, this was your idea, wasn't it? Help me burn it."_

_Canada tried to say something, anything, but his lung where on fire and filled with ash. He coughed and shook his head no._

_"What? Are you worried for him, scared for him? He did the same to you, worse even. Alfred is a glutton and an ungrateful brat, Matthew. Now watch as we burn it, burn it to the ground. " The malevolent excitement in Arthur's voice was almost too much to handle._

_Directly in front of Canada, golden flames erupted from the smoke. Vicious, greedy flames engulfed a once impressive house. There amongst the smoke and fire, in front of his burning White House, stood America._

_Canada wanted to scream out to him, to cry, to make the flames go away, but he couldn't. He was powerless. And all he could was look into his brother's face. All he could see were sad blue eyes. Apologetic, mourning and betrayed. The blue eyes stood out against the licking flames, and soon they were all Canada could see, all he could feel._

_As soon as the smoke arrived, it vanished. Canada's sense of regret and panic was replaced with a worried grievance. He was still staring into those blue eyes, but now they were full of pain and agony._

_Canada jumped back to see America standing at his door step with a forced smile, his chest covered with blood._

_"Hey," America sounded exhausted, but he made an attempt to cling to his happy demeanor. "I was wondering if we could just...chat?" Canada stood still, shocked. He couldn't help but gape at his fellow nation in concern. The closer Canada looked, the more he noticed scars and scabs. "I'm fine, Matt. Really...It's just Kansas... Kansas is bleeding..., and I can't really get it to stop. But it barely hurts."_

_Canada did the best thing he could think of and gave America a seat on the couch. He handed his brother a mug freshly brewed coffee, and even offered him some maple to put in it. He sat down next to America with his own mug and listened in concern._

_The Civil War was anything but civil for America._

_Alfred quietly and calmly began by explaining the political situation. He described it as if it was nothing, but Matthew could see the pain from the struggles hidden behind his eyes._

_Canada listened._

_America went on to discuss the battles, and his citizens. He also conveniently forgot to mention the pains from the fights and casualties, but his cuts and bruises confirmed that conflict was present._

_Canada listened, noticing the lack of emotion in America's voice, watching those blue eyes water up. When America had finished speaking, he was shaking slightly and clearly upset. "They hate me..." He said with a small smirk that quickly vanished. "...I'm... I'm not sure what'll happen, Matt..."_

_"Alfred..." It was hard for Canada to hear his own voice. It was as if he was trying to understand someone from underwater. He kept his voice gentle and soft. "I know you..." Canada attempted to smile. "I know that you'll pull through. You always do."_

_America looked Canada in the eyes, then turned his head away. Without a hesitation, Canada pulled his brother into a comforting hug, and felt America's shaking arms return the gesture. Silent tears dampened Canada's shoulder as America's body trembled. The bond between the two as countries helped Canada and America to share their problems with each other; but the bond between the two as brothers helped Matthew and Alfred to survive through difficult times._

_"Thank you." America managed to mumble into Canada's shoulder._

_Even though Canada had heard him, he couldn't stop himself from saying "What?"_

_A young, child's voice replied with a defeated sigh. "I said... I said that I'm sorry. I made you cry. Hero's aren't s'possed to do that. "_

_Canada found himself looking up at his brother from the play room floor, back in England's house. He smiled and simply said, "That's okay."_

_

* * *

_

Canada's eyes sprung open in a panic. Sleep? He wasn't supposed to be asleep! How long had he been asleep for? He couldn't sleep, he had escaping to do! Or... did he? Canada bit his lower lip in deep thought… And all he could think of was his brother, and how he needed to stay strong... for him.

Canada glared down at his sturdy confinements. They were just rope. He looked around once again in the hopes of finding a conveniently placed sharp-object, but he wasn't surprised when he didn't find one. Germany was too smart for that.

Canada kicked out his legs in frustration. What didn't the stupid hoser think of? He leaned back in exasperation- unfortunately, he leaned back a tad too far. He let out a quick startled wail as he felt gravity pull him backwards, causing a loud CRASH! to echo in the empty room.

"MAPLESHIT!" Canada hissed. Why was he such an idiot? Hopefully that wasn't audible over Italian-ness. Canada was on his back, legs in the air, and still tied to the goddamn chair! Canada was completely immobilized on the floor and utterly screwed. Now all he could do was wait for Germany to come find him and... Do something. Canada couldn't fathom what that would be.

All hopes of escape were gone, just like that. Canada began to tremble- but it wasn't a tremble out of fear. No... Oooh no. It was a rage, a burning passion that filled the Canadian. He could stand up to anything Germany would do to him... He **would **stand up! And he would do it in America's name. He knew Alfred would to the same for him. Canada would face Germany with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. Now... all he had to do was wait.

There was something about the hopeless predicament that just made him smirk. Maybe it was the ridiculous position he was in. Maybe it was irony, the god damn irony of his situation. There was nothing Matthew Willams could do but wait for Germany to find him… and honestly, it made him laugh. Just a little.

Canada strained his ears and ignored the way his heart leapt at every tiny sound. Any second now, he would hear the heavy, serious march of Germany come down the hall way... and that's when he would know to brace himself.

He caught his breath when he finally heard something that resembled footsteps. They were soft, padding noises with clicks against wooden floors. He squinted as he tried to imagine in his mind's eye what would make a noise like that.

As the sound grew closer and louder, Canada recognized the clicks. The sound was claws against wood. He let out small sigh of relief. The sound was probably just one of Germany's dogs...

Canada waited for the footsteps to continue down the hall, but they didn't. There was a series of sniffing and snuffling right outside of the room. Canada tried to get a view of the door, (even if it would be a fuzzy one) but he couldn't. The sniffing stopped, and was replaced with a scratching. Canada ignored the strong urge to let out an irritated sigh... why couldn't it go just away?

It was just a polite scratch to open the door at first. Canada tried to be as quiet as possible in hopes that it would leave. There was then a second scratch, impatient compared to the first. Canada heard a sigh of some sorts...He was just about to place where he had heard that sigh before when the sound of a jiggling doorknob made him jump. Had Germany noticed his dog by the door?

Canada clenched his fists as he waited for the door to open... but it didn't. Not right away. From the sounds of scratching and jiggling coming from the door, Canada realized that it was the dog trying to open the door... Not Germany.

Canada squirmed nervously. That had to be one big dog...

Finally, there was a click and the door swung open with a tiny creak. He kept as still as possible, not quite sure what to do... not that he could do much of anything else.

Canada heard the soft clicking footsteps approach in him where he was... if anything, they sounded exhausted.

Canada saw a fuzzy white head hover above his, and he _swore_ he was hallucinating. There, glaring down at him with two dark fuzzy circles was . He pawed at Canada's face with an irritated flair.

"Where the hell have you been? Feed me, damn it."

* * *

**A/N**

**I LIVE! I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! **

*****HI everyone! I am SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SOOOOOOOOO SOORY! School and Life and all that stuff got in the way... but most of all? When I was writing this, I was in a MAJOR UBER AWFUL writers block. But I'm back now! With a huge chapter! And I swear that I WILL finish this story.

*This chapter... this chapter...ugh. What can I say about it? There's a reason it took TWO MONTHS to write! This chapter is lacking in humor, and it's full of poorly written Canadian angst. I feel like it doesn't do exactly what I want it to do...but I can't stare at this stupid wall of text any longer. I wanted to share it with everyone really badly! So this is what you get. I hope it's not so bad.

*Did you like the ending? Did we see it coming? Kumihana to the rescue! Er, no, that's not right...Ku...Ka...Kimihana? Oh, whatever.

*And I really liked writing the dream. I had too much fun with it! I actually have some historicalish tidbits thrown in there with a healthy dose of fluff.

* Next chapter will come! Sooner or later. But I promise you, you'll see it.

**THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH FOR READING, FAVORITING, SUBSCRIBING AND REVIEWING! You wouldn't be reading this right now if it wasn't for all of the feedback. YOU ALL ARE AWESOME!**

Happy Reading!


	11. Chapter 11

The five allied nations consisting of a hyper American, a flustered British gentleman, an irritated Chinese person, a confused Frenchman, and a passive Russian had somehow managed to enter Germany and were currently staked out in front of Germany's house, hiding behind shrubbery.

The hero of the group was dressed as his brother once again, with Canada's warm jacket snugly secured and his hair parted down the middle. He was closest to the house, and kept peering over the bushes to survey the area.

"America!" Britain hissed in irritation. "We need more details than 'just back me up!' to properly execute a plan!"

"Dude." America glanced back at England and rolled his eyes. "Come on. I've already explained the plan three freaking times!"

"Oui, and it makes even less sense every time you open your grease-coated pie hole!" France glared from where he was crouching.

America sighed and made a big (yet discrete) show of addressing his allies.

"Look. I'm going to walk up to the door. Someone will answer it. They will not see me, because I will be all Canadianized, and I will walk in. From that point you guys wait around for a bit, keep an eye on the surroundings. I will come out with Canada from..."

America quickly glanced at Germany's house for any weak points. There was a rather large window without any sort of curtains. It seemed pretty vulnerable.

"We'll come out that window." He pointed over his shoulder and nodded. He crossed his arms and looked at his fellow nations with an overly confident smirk, blue eyes daring the other nations to challenge his awesome plan.

England and China exchanged "This isn't going to work, is it?" glances, both nations looking exhausted already. Russia seemed to be zoning out, and France was looking at Germany's house anxiously, mumbling something about dogs. America cleared his throat a bit to refocus the group.

"Ready?" America asked through toothy grin, though it was forced. Not that he would ever admit that. "This is gonna be awesome. "

"I still think bad takeout would work better, aru." China mumbled to himself as he got his wok ready. It was pretty much an unspoken rule among the Allies that when America's stupid plans failed, China would rush in and save his butt. China sighed and nodded his head once. "Ready."

The others nodded their heads, and Russia simply smiled.

America turned towards the German estate, took a deep breath, and began to slowly approach the door. ( He wasn't nervous. Who said he was nervous? Hero's don't know the meaning of the word "nervous".)

"If does not come back, may I assume the role of 'hero'?" Russia asked quietly once America was out of earshot.

The blond nation walked up to the door. He adjusted Canada's fuzzy beige jacket -was it getting warm? It must have been the jacket. He fixed his glasses, and messed with his hair. After all, it had to look right. He lifted a fist to knock on the door, then paused to clear his throat. He shifted his weight from right to left, and then decided that he needed to fix his jacket again.

"Oh would you just get on with it?" An irritated Englishman popped up from behind the bushes. America looked back and flashed England his signature cocky smile. The Brit rolled his eyes and went back to hiding.

America turned back to the door. It was tall, and a dark wood. It had a bronze door knob, and an average knocker. America took a deep breath and raised his hand once again.

This was going work. He was really doing this. He had too. For Matt.

* * *

Getting a hungry polar bear to gnaw through the ropes confining you isn't difficult; it's getting said hungry polar bear to forgive you for not being around to feed him that's the hard part.

Canada was pretty sure that he hadn't hugged like that in a looong time. "Thank you!" He whispered quietly mid-glomp.

Kumajiro simply sighed. It could have been a sigh of content just as easily as it could have been a sigh of irritation, but Canada really didn't care. The warmth and soft fluff of a polar bear was the ultimate security blanket. It always had been.

Canada released his fuzzy friend and sat crisscross on the hard wood floor, flexing and stretching his stiff shoulders. "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice just barely above a whisper. "How did you find me?"

The polar bear sat down in front of Canada and glared up at him with a betrayed finesse. "I'm. **Hungry.**" He hissed.

Canada rolled his eyes. He supposed that was a good enough answer. His eyes wandered from the blurry image of the polar bear to a small, glowing beam of light on the floor. He followed the solemn ray to the source, and his heart skipped a beat.

The door was open...It was almost too good to believe it.

Canada sat there for a moment, just marveling at all of the opportunities that had just opened up to him. He felt like a child finally released from the naughty chair. He almost didn't know what to do with himself.

Canada slowly, slowly stood up, his eyes never leaving the open door. He silently creped over, afraid that any sudden movements would cause it to slam shut. He rested a gentle, timid hand on the smooth wooden frame, just to make sure it was real. Canada closed his eyes in concentration and listened.

Faint echoes of Italian laughter could just barely be heard coming from the far right end of the hallway. Canada was almost certain that where ever Germany was, Italy would be right there with him.

Canada stood there, lingering at the door. His stomach was turning and his was internally debating what do. There wasn't a chance of Canada staying where he was. That was obvious. But what would he do once he was in the hall? Where would he go? And more importantly, how would he leave?

A gentle tug on his pants broke Canada's trance. He opened his eyes to see Kumajiro look up at him expectantly.

Canada smirked, and gave his friend a quick scratch behind the ear. It looked like he was just going to have to take his chances.

The fluid motion of the door opening was almost like a dream. It happened perfectly, beautifully, without a single whine from the hinges. Slowly, hesitantly, Canada poked his head out of the room and into the hallway. He gave a cautious look around, though it wouldn't do much good with his crappy eyesight. From what he could tell, it was similar in design to the room he planned on leaving. Dark wood floors, warm colors glowing off of the walls.

The Canadian listened intently again, to see if there was any change in his surroundings. Though muffled and muted by rooms and walls alike, Canada could still make out hum of Italy's non-stop chatter. That was all the information he needed.

The first step out of that room was fueled purely on adrenalin and maple syrup. (Because anything Canada does is fueled by maple... Duh.) He quickly and silently took a left down the hall way, away from any Axis Powers in the house. He held his breath as he strained his ears for any sign of people to avoid.

seemed to understand the dire need to be sneaky. He walked softly, his ears twitching and nose to the ground, retracing his steps from when he entered Germany's house. The two had passed at least three or four doors when they finally reached the end of the corridor. Matthew looked down at his polar bear who nodded once. He lifted his nose in the air and peeked his head around the corner. He wiggled his stubby tale once for an all-clear.

The room they had entered was... well... nice. There was a large, couch-shaped blurry thing pushed up against one beige wall, a round green circle on the floor, and a miscellaneous assortment of other blurry shapes. Canada decided that this must be the living room... Wait, Germany had a living room? The more he saw of the house, the more he remembered that Germany was actually human... or, rather, a personification of a country... same difference in this case.

Deep blue, almost purple eyes scanned the living room desperately. He knew to avoid the lumps... Tripping wasn't an option right now. There were two different thresholds he could take, and a large window.

While his arctic companion slowly crept towards the hallway on the opposite side of the room, Canada couldn't help but gaze outside for a moment; it was nighttime. It must've been really windy out...even with his awful eyesight AND in the dark he could see the bushes moving... That's when Canada was struck with a sickening thought. Even if he was to get out of Germany's house, how was he supposed to find his way back home? It's not like he could walk to back to his house.

"Hurry up!" The little bear hissed from across the room. He was impatient and irritated.

"Right." Canada said, barely above a whisper. "No time to think aboot how utterly screwed I am now..."

Canada kept his eyes wide open for any fuzzy obstacles as he made his way across the room. So far so good. He entered the next hallway, and was picking up speed. He followed the bear at the same cautious speed he had kept all along, still afraid of breathing too loudly or a sneak attack. Kumajiro was almost trotting down the hallway now, and Canada had to speed up just to keep him in sight.

Kumajiro had led Canada to the front of the house, and was happily sitting by a large, dark wood door. Matthew wet his lips and looked around nervously. No one was following him, or keeping track of him... He doubted that they had even noticed that he was missing. This brought a small smile to his face and a tiny feeling of triumph as he approached the big door.

Of course, this shattered what little accomplishment he felt in an instant when a sharp knock rang out from behind said door. The noise made Canada jump and made poof up twice the size he normally was.

"Do not vorry, Ludwig." A slightly irritated Austrian voice echoed through the halls. It sent chills down Canada's spine in an instant. "I vill get it."

Matthew panicked. He acted on instincts and scooped up Kumajiro. He darted quickly into the hallway he had just emerged from and opened the first door he saw. He closed it as quietly as possible and leaned against it, holding the doorknob with one hand and clinging to Kumajiro with the other. He listened as closely as possible, holding his breath as Austria's footstep echoed past the door at a dignified pace. He heard the large door creak open.

"Yes, hello, vhat is it?" Austria asked.

Silence.

The door creaked open wider.

"Hello?" Austria called out, never losing his diplomatic tone.

Silence.

The door shut with a loud thud, and he heard Austria's footsteps ascend down the hallway from where they came.

"No von vas at the door." He called out. "I'm going to return to patching up your clothing now, ja? Und could you bring me some pasta, lightly sauced, sprinkled with a thin layer of parmesan? Danke ."

Canada listened in silence for another minute before leaning his whole back on the hard surface of the door and letting out a huge sigh. He hugged Kumajiro close and tried to steady his nerves.

His eyes barely had time to adjust to the darkness of the room he had just entered when suddenly the, door vanished. He fell backwards and gasped, bracing for impact, but was caught by someone. Canada would've screamed in shock if it wasn't for a gloved palm pressed against his mouth.

The all-too-familiar voice sounded smug and excited in a hushed tone. "I would know that sigh anywhere, bro. "

* * *

**A/N**

**Hola~**

***** This is sooooooo much better than Chapter 10. I'm starting to get back into the swing of things, but I'm not sure if I'm quite there yet. I'm hoping that this chapter was at least a little amusing. The last chapter had no good humor points at all. Ugh, I hate chapter 10, I hate it I hate it. I'm considering scrapping it all together, calling it an "optional chapter" because it makes me want to cry and kick something. It's really horrible and unnecessary .

***** Speaking of horrible, I really want to re-write Chapter 1. Change all the "ey" 's to "eh" 's (as I have seen the error of my ways) and over all write it better.

*****I'm almost at 100 reviews! Do you know how awesome that is? You guys make me so happy! Without feedback and support, there is no way that this fic would've been continued or grown as large as it has.

***** I really, really, really over-use cliff hangers, don't I? I don't mean to, I'm sorry. It just happens that way. I don't consider this as much of a cliff hanger anyway.

* Ooh! One last thing! If you ever want to nag at me to write or just say hi, find me on DeviantArt! AfishLovesAlfred is my username. I know, right? America FTW~

**COOKIES FOR EVERYONE! PLEASE CONTINUE TO FAV, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE, AND BE AWESOME!**

**Happy Reading~!**

(Just not Chapter 10.)


	12. Chapter 12

America was positive that he had never super-glomped his brother like that before. Ever. Once America had caught his falling Canadian companion, he scooped him into a bear hug that was impossible to escape.

"Ameri...ca..." Canada mumbled as best as he could with a squeezed ribcage. "C-Can't... breathe...?"

"Oh." He quickly let go of Canada and walked into the room. Canada made a quick dart for the door and closed it as quietly as possible. So many questions were rushing through his head. _How-? When-? Why-… no, wait, how?_ Kumajirou, still freaked by America's sudden appearance, sat down on the floor and glared up at two brothers. "Sorry bro, it's just... I mean..."

Luckily, Matthew had just enough time to brace himself for glomp number two. He was actually able to return the gesture this time, warm fuzzy feelings and smiles included. The warm embrace seemed to prove that this moment wasn't a dream; it was like a tangible emotion the two shared.

America pulled away and couldn't stop staring his brother. He was bouncing with jubilant energy, but his eyes had a certain glaze to them that dampened his high spirits. Light blue eyes met rich dark blue, and the veil disappeared. Canada was so numb with shock and relief and shock and happiness and confusion and shock that he didn't know what to say or what to do or how to react or-

"Matt...Are you okay?" The words fell out of America's mouth heavy and anxious, like he had practiced this moment and what he would say over and over in his head.

It was then that Matthew realized that his brother had.

He couldn't do much but stare back in a dumbfounded silence. His brother remembered him... Better yet, Alfred actually cared! Alfred cared, and he was here… Now. After a few intense seconds, a thin smile found its way to Canada's lips. It was returned quickly by America, who seemed flooded with relief. To see that smile again, to know that someone like America really did care made every second of this crappy day worth it.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Canada reassured. "But I can't see too well without my glasses and my head hurts a little from running into the wall-"

"Wait." America sounded perplexed. "You ran into a wall?"

Matthew felt his face flush as he gently rubbed his head, which was still sore. "U-Uhm, well..."

"Oh!" America reached into the jacket he was wearing and pulled out a pair of crumpled rectangular frames. "Here. I found these and I knew you were in trouble. I... may or may not... have contributed to the damage. A bit. Haha?"

America held the glasses obnoxiously close Canada's face. "See 'em? I know you have shitty eyesight like me and all, and-"

"Uh-huh." Canada simultaneously pushed away America's hand and took the remains of his glasses in one smooth motion. He timidly slid bent metal over his ears and blinked a couple of times.

For one thing, the glasses sat crooked and uncomfortable on his nose. Not that it mattered much anyway, because one lens was completely missing, and the other was like looking through a kaleidoscope. It didn't help his aching head.

"Yeeeaaah..." America sounded apologetic. "Sorry."

Canada sighed and took his glasses off, folding them as much as they would fold and slipping them into the inner pocket of America's bomber jacket. "No, don't be soory. I have a spare at home."

"Good. I'm gla-" America's response was cut short by a loud banging coming from the front door.

"Mapleshit!" Canada hissed. He scrambled to back to the door and held the handle tight. Both North Americans leaned in close to hear what was going on, while Kumajirou darted away.

"What the hell?" America asked, his voice just above a whisper.

The Canadian pressed a finger to his lips and glared daggers at his American brother, hoping he would get the message.

America just looked confused. He lowered his voice and whispered "But what-"

"Shut up!" Canada hissed, trying to keep his voice as low as possible.

"Dude, if you would jus-"

Heavy, marching footsteps did a better job of silencing America.

"Do not vorry, Austria, I vill get it. And if there is no von there, I vill personally make sure that it stays that vay..."

The persistent banging continued until Germany reluctantly opened the door. The North Americans shared a confused glance when they heard Germany gasp.

"...B-Bruder?"

"West!" A certain Prussian called out. He noisily stomped inside the house and patted Germany on the back. "I thought you would've looked happier to see your awesome bruder!"

"But, Gilbert, our boss-"

Prussia made an odd noise that sounded like the combination of a spit take and a hearty laugh.

"AS IF! You think some lame-ass can stop me from seeing my little Westy-west? Ore-sama is too awesome for that. Plus, I needed a break from that damn frozen vodka-sucker. He keeps talking to me and the guy seriously creeps me out."

Germany's normally strong voice wavered a little with apprehension. "B-But Bruder, my boss-"

"Is a douche!"

America snickered quietly at Prussia's remark. Canada elbowed sharply to make him shut up.

"Come ON, West." Prussia's narcissistic footsteps seemed to be leading Germany's cautious ones away from the front door. It squeaked quickly before slamming shut. "Vhy are you so serious about vork all the time? Vork vork vork vork vork, it's really fucking boring, Luddy. Tonight is going to be AWESOME. You're gonna sit down, relax, have a good beer or two or six and we can catch up. "

"But-" Germany sounded desperate."Italy is here. And he already-"

"Psht, I thought the house smelled like garlic. You bang him yet?"

Canada felt blood rush to his face. America's hands shot to cover his mouth before any of his explosive laughter could escape.

On the other side of the door, Germany was quickly babbling something incomprehensible before a quick interruption.

"Ja ja, vhatever, West. BRING ON THE BEER!" Prussia yelled, completely disregarding Germany's protests and echoing footsteps ran towards what must've been the kitchen.

"Italy und Bruder over on the same night..." Germany heaved a humongous sigh. "Vhen I have vork to do..."

There was silence for a moment. Canada could almost hear the gears turning in Germany's head, could almost see his brow furrowed in deep thought in his minds eyes.

"But one beer couldn't hurt..." And with that, Germany's footsteps echoed away.

After a few tense moments of silence, America looked at Canada wide eyed. "And you think _I'm_bad?"

Canada couldn't help but crack a smile. "Well, only most of the time..."

America either didn't hear his brother's comment or chose to ignore it. He stepped away from the door and looked around at the dim room they were in. He took a couple of strides and heroically scanned the room.

"So, what kind of prison cell is this, anyway?"

"Prison cell?" Canada asked. Why would Germany have a prison cell in his personal home? But America had brought up a good point. Where were they now? In his haste, Canada had just ducked into the nearest room he could find.

"Dude." America gasped as an epiphany struck him, sparing Canada the chore of answering his previous question. He looked at Canada in awe. "Do you know where we are?"

Matthew squinted, trying his best to observe his surroundings. From what he could tell, everything was extremely neat and tidy, with a queen sized bed tucked into the corner of the room. Besides that, there wasn't much else.

"Uh..." Canada rubbed his eyes and looked up in what he hoped was a pitiful manner, so that maybe America would notice and they could go home. "Germany?"

"Wrong!" America's voice was playful and mischievous. "Well, correct technically, but that's not the right answer. We're totally in Germany's bedroom!"

Canada covered his mouth as his eyes widened. "No way..."

"Yeah!" America actually sounded glad, even excited.

Of all the places to hide in, Germany's bedroom was NOT the ideal spot. Canada panicked.

"America!" Canada grabbed his brother's arm as if that would actually stop him from doing something stupid- because that was the only possible explanation for America's behavior. He was about to do something stupid.

Alfred looked at him blankly for a second, scanning Mattie's face before shrugging him off and smiling endearingly, as if a smile would keep Canada from worrying- because that was the only possible explanation for... well.. no, actually, Canada had a logical reason for freaking out. But America dismissed the logic. Canada clearly didn't see the potential in the situation.

"We need to leave." Was all Canada said.

America smiled some more and shrugged. "What's the rush?"

Canada could only glare. America wasn't THAT bad at reading the atmosphere, was he?

"...Oh." Alfred's smile melted a little as he stared back blankly... until a conman's smile replaced his comforting grin. "Well, I mean, other than thaaat..."

"... Can we just go now? Please? And stop being so loud, they might hear us!"

"Didn't you hear? Both Prussia and Italy are over. And they're gonna drink! Germany will be plenty distracted. And come ooooon, Matt! Don't you see the glorious opportunity we have before us?" America sounded like he had just found a pile of unattended hamburgers.

Canada crossed his arms. He wasn't in the mood. "No. I can't see. My glasses broke."

"We're in Germany's room! I bet it's where he keeps all of his secret plans for world domination and all that stuff! We could totally do some wicked awesome spying for the Allies while we're here! Now that I know you're okay and all."

America ended with a light punch to Canada's arm. America was in one of those moods... Unfortunately, Canada knew that once America got hyped over something, nothing could stop him.

"But don't you think that Germany will notice if his stuff is messed up? And-"

"We can be careful!"

Canada sighed. "Let me finish for once, eh? I highly doubt that he keeps his important work information in his room..."

But it was too late. America had already bounded off in some random direction and began to investigate. He opened the closet first.

"Ew." He began tenderly shifting clothes on hangers around, examining each article with the hawk eyes of a New York hipster. "Lederhosen?"

Canada couldn't help but admit that he was a liiiiittle curious as to what Germany kept in his room... "Personal objects" and "Germany" just didn't seem to coincide. But that didn't stop Canada from slowly ambling over to where his brother was.

"...Did you check in this dresser?" Canada asked quietly, pointing at a simple wooden dresser tucked inside of the closet. America looked down and let out a surprised noise.

"Oh, dude, I didn't even notice that. " He slid his hands down to the wood dresser and pulled open the first drawer, only to find it full of socks tucked neatly in rows going in color order, from darkest to brightest.

"Jackpot!" America beamed.

Canada shot him an apprehensive glance. "Jackpot?"

"Jackpot!" America repeated happily. "Everyone knows that you keep your important documents hidden in the sock drawer."

"...uh-huh..." Canada looked back down at the socks and figured there wasn't much to lose. He reached out a hand and slipped it between a gray and a less-gray. Much to his surprise, instead of feeling wood at the bottom he felt something cool and glossy, like a magazine.

He raised his eye brows in surprise and nodded to America. "Found something! Surprisingly enough..."

America grinned and began taking bundles of socks out as carefully as possible. "Matt, come on, you should know by now that it's a waste of time to doubt me."

"Hmm…" The irony of America's statement was a little hard to swallow. "Al? That reminds me…. How did you get…uh…..Alfred?"

While Canada was speaking, America had looked down to see the exposed document. His face changed from pale to pink to red in a matter of seconds.

"What?" Canada looked down and squinted. The colorful magazine had something in German written in swirly purple font. The woman on the front was wearing... well... needless to say, the two nations had certainly found an "important document" alright, but NOT the kind they were looking for. "Sh-she looks... cold..." Was Canada could manage to say.

America nodded.

"Is that her... or... she can't be German, can she?"

America shook his head no.

"M-Maybe we should... just... put the socks back..."

America nodded and began to place the socks in the order he took them out without another word.

Once the closet doors were closed Canada turned to look at the bedroom door. Still closed, waiting patiently for the two intruders to leave. He turned back to America and gave him a nudge. "Can we go now? I've been here long enough."

America walked over to an end table. On it rested a bowl of potatoes. He picked one up cautiously and began to observe it. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. The silence created was suddenly serious, like what Canada said had flipped a switch. "I...I'm sorry... my mind it just all over the place."

Canada's eyes left the door and followed America over to the potatoes. "Are those rocks?" He asked, squinting. He continued talking before America got a chance to answer. "No,no, it's alright."

After a few moments of silence, America cleared his throat and tentatively asked " He didn't keep you held captive in here… did he?"

"Oh… no, he kept me in some spare room... there was a dresser with a lamp or something on it and me tied to a chair. That was it." Canada was quick to respond, trying to make it sound like he was just talking about last week's hockey match.

America took a sudden interest in the potato. He turned it over and over, examining it's rough skin while his brain tried to process everything.

"And..." He said in a quiet tone. "...did he actually believe you were me?"

Canada hesitantly nodded.

America didn't need to look up, to know the answer. He stopped messing with the potato, instead opting to glare at it for a second, unsure of what to say or do next. There were a million burning questions that danced around in his head, but he had to get the answer to one important queries.

Alfred's tone was still low and eerily serious. "Did he hurt you?" He finally worked up the courage to meet his brother's dark blue, almost purple gaze.

"I-I..." Canada didn't know what to say. He broke eye contact almost immediately. He was overwhelmed. He involuntarily felt his hand rise up to his head where he had been hit.

America looked away and let the potato roll from his palm into the bowl. This was exactly what he had been afraid of. This was all his fault. How could be so unheroic? How could he let something like this, something that HE should've gone through... How could he have dragged Canada into all of this?

"But... Alfred..." Canada took a few steps forward and placed a gentle hand on America's shoulder. America didn't look up, didn't say anything, didn't budge. The silence was painful for both of them.

Canada gently shook America's shoulder and found a small smile growing on his face. "Hey..." He said in his quiet voice. "Would you look at me?"

America adjusted his glasses and slowly met the gaze of his brother. Somber and guilty light blue eyes met dark blue, almost purple.

"You would've done the same for me, eh?"

America just stared back in shock. Canada wasn't mad? He wasn't bitter, or hateful or... or anything? America quickly smiled and wiped his eye- G-Germany's room must've been super dusty- and smiled back. "In a heartbeat, dude."

Kumajirou made a gagging noise from somewhere under the bed. Canada put his hand to his forehead and moaned a little. If Kumajirou got sick in Germany's room, they would be dead in no time!

"Kumayaki, come here!"

"Why?" The polarbear replied rebelliously.

"So we can leave." America replied with a smile on his face.

After a little bit of shuffling, Kumajirou popped his head out from under the bed and glared at America. "Who're you?" He pulled himself out and lumbered over to America. He sniffed at his feet for a second and then wrinkled his snout. "Oh." He turned to Canada and look up at him. "But...you are...?"

Canada smiled and scooped up his fuzzy friend while America checked his breath. The weight of the fuzzy creature in Canada's arms was comforting beyond belief. Matthew looked at his brother, and his brother looked back. America gave a curt nod, and began to head towards the door.

* * *

**A/N**

**I KNOW I CAN'T BELIEVE I UPDATED EITHER!**

Sorry guys :c

Iiiiiiii suck. But I'm determined. This will be finished, I swear! No, seriously. Well, actually, I'm thinking that there aren't many chapters left.. I'd say two or three at most.

Oh! And I re-wrote Chapter 1, tweaked it a bit. Would anyone be interested in me replacing the old one with the new and improved?

I also hope that I haven't lost intrest with anyone because of the huge hiatus. Oh well.

**Happy Reading, Guys~!**


	13. Chapter 13

Sadly, warm fuzzies do not ensure a safe escape. The North American duo found that out the hard way when the door to Germany's bedroom was finally opened. There was an unspoken moment shared between the two, and they both knew the drill. Stealthy and quiet. With America leading the way, the two silently observed the hall, Kumajirou's nose twitching all the while. Alfred bit his lower lip in concentration as eyes darted up and down the very same corridor leading to the front door. It was like he was watching an intense tennis match.

"What're you waiting for?" Canada whispered as politely as he could- though at that point, it was a desperately nagging question.

"Chill." America whispered back with a dismissive hand wave thrown over his shoulder. "I'm trying to find our exit."

A forced, slightly neurotic laugh escaped Canada. "Heheh, But Alfred, d-dear brother of mine…. The door is that way." Canada took America's shoulders and rotated him towards the respective direction.

America shook Canada off and hushed him. "I'm thinking! I told the others I would crawl out a window with you, and I can't remember which one."

"…Others?" With his mouth agape, Canada looked down at his bear in awe. Kumajirou gave as much of a shrug as he could, and when Canada looked up, America was gone.

"Psssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss t!" America had his eyebrows raised impatiently. He was already half way down the hall and rearing to go. "What're you waiting for, -Doesn't-Know-Where-The-Door-Is?"

"O-others?" Canada echoed his previous squeak of awe as he quietly caught up to his brother. "What others?"

"Oh, ya know. Iggy, Francey-pants, the Commie and…. China." America allowed himself a quick chuckle. "Don't have a cutesy name for China. I'll work on that. But you know, the whole gang."

Canada was left speechless once more. The Allies were there to rescue him? The very thought made his stomach flip, but in a good way. Most of the time they didn't even notice he was in the room, let alone know who he was. But they had really come all this way, just for him!

As America continued to walk down the hall, Canada's backed up stress and paranoia began to set in. He took to listening for any telltale signs of the approaching enemy. Much to his relief, he could only hear a faint chattering noise and the clinking of plates. There was even a hint of some sourly sung notes. Slowly, Canada allowed an image of merriment and good time form in his head. Food and beer abound, smiles and laughter exchanged. Germany enjoying himself was almost impossible to invision... Canada touched his head where he had been hit tenderly- just to remind himself that it had actually happened. And then there was Italy... So air-headed, so naive... He must have his secrets. Canada knew that he himself did. When Italy had actually recognized him earlier... That was scary. Did Italy know more than he let on to? Or was it just dumb luck? It was strange, really, to think that someone like Italy could be so close to someone like Germany.

"Found it!" America stopped short- just in time for the dazed Canadian to run into him.

"Soory.." Canada whispered, but mostly to Kumajirou, who had accidentally gotten a face full of America's back. He let out a snort of discontentment.

"This is totally the window! Totally!" America's smile only wavered a little as he glanced at Canada's unsure face. "Totally..."

The window looked just like any other window. Square. See-through. The night outside was an inky black, with the moon playing nightlight.

"So... How does it open?" Canada's question was left unanswered as America began feeling along the windowsill and gently pushing on the panels.

"Got it!" America's whispered in sing-song. "Dude, who's you're hero?!"

"The Great Gretski." Canada said immediately. "Awesome Canadian! Fantastic hockey player, I got to meet him once."

"Oh shut up. Look!" America couldn't help but smile at the teasing. His eyes were beaming with pride as he turned back to the window. "I so got this!"

America had unlocked the window and pushed it open.

"... All you had to do was unlock it?"

"Yeah!" America's enthusiasm for the simplest things never ceased to amaze Canada. "Now, this thing is a good three feet from the ground, so we can just swing our legs over, and run for it."

'And run for it' was term commonly shared among the two ever since Canada could remember. 'I'll lift you up, you take the cookies and run for it!' England never did hear that phrase. It was one of the brother's shared quirks.

America stepped back and motioned for Canada to go first. Waiting for a teasing remark or snide comment, Canada hesitantly took a step forward. When America remained quiet, Canada was a little surprised. He flashed America a smile. "Thanks."

"No problemo!" America returned his brother's smile with his flashy I'm-Totally-The-Awesomest-Hero-Ever beam. "You might wanna put your bear thingy out of the window first though."

" ?" Canada looked down once more at the polarbear in his arms. "Good idea."

On any other night, the air would've had a calming effect. But tonight, calming was not an adjective used to describe anything. He held out at arms length and smiled nervously as he let the white bear leap down outside. "I'll feed you whatever you want when we get back home, okay?"

The bear look pleased with this promise when suddenly, his ears flicked at towards oncoming footsteps. His hackles rose and he emitted a low, throaty growl.

* * *

China didn't understand. He really didn't. The Allies were having an emergency meeting to rescue... who was it? Can.. Cambodia? No... Canada! Of course, Canada. Anyway, from what China could tell, the situation was all America's fault. Or at least China liked to think it was. Stupid American. And now America had gone directly into enemy territory, forcing England to go into a tizzy when he didn't return 5 minutes later.

And that was why China was now wearing a fake moustache that France had on him, carrying some "Chinese Food" made by Britian himself. China tried his best not to take it as an insult, and to simply look at it as a battle strategy. He took some offense anyway. As to how England had cooked the food so fast was also a mystery to China. England said something about the fairies helping him, but China decided to just stop questioning things. Tonight was annoying, and he would rather be at home reading a magazine or something. And yet, there was something about being on the battlefield once again that he liked. The risk. The danger. The volunteering to play delivery boy just to get away from Russia. Things like that.

The man still dressed in bright red approached the door with grace and dignity, and the courage that a nation as old as he should have. He had his trusty wok in one hand hidden behind his back, ready to strike whomever opened the door if- no, when they didn't fall for the disguise.

China was about to approach the door when he heard a soft growling noise to his right. He shot a confused glance at the nearest window. He gasped and almost dropped the "take out".

"SO CUUUUTEEEE!" He took one step towards the adorable yet strangely familiar growling bear, but then scolded himself. He was on a mission. Then he looked up, and saw America hanging half way out of the window, with a look of pure shock on his face.

"America!" China hissed, scurrying over to the window with a nagging pretense. "Where have you been?! England won't shut up!"

Canada popped his head out from behind the still shocked America. "Present and accounted for! I was afraid bushybrows would pull the trigger too soon."

China stared blankly at the person he though was Canada, and the person he thought was America. Brow furrowed, he took his wok and pointed it towards the blonde hanging out the window.

"... Wait... Canada?"

The country in question smiled sheepishly and waved a bit. "Hi."

The wok turned to the one with just his head poping out.

"So you're..."

"Alfred F. Jones, Film-maker-archeologist-hero-extraordinare at your service!"

China stared blankly for another two seconds before shaking his head. "Western nations are so..." He let out an odd combination of a sigh and a grumble.

America laughed heartily, then all expression drained from his face at the sound of a loud crash. He quickly pulled his head back in from the window. Canada froze, unsure of what else to do. America's eyes narrowed and he bit his tongue as he listened. He hoped he had heard wrong... but he hadn't.

He quickly thrust his head back out the window. "China. Go do whatever you were going to do. Quickly! We need a distraction!" His tone was that out-of-character serious again.

China's eyes widened a bit at the sudden change of attitude and rushed up to the door to follow orders. He briskly knocked on the front door.

Canada caught his breath and started to shrink back into the house.

"Why did you tell him to do that? We're in the same hall as the front door! They'll see us and-"

"WHHHOOOOoooooOooooooooo IS IT?!" A gruff, drunken voice called out. America's eyes widened and Canada's heart skipped a beat.

"No, they won't see you. Well, me. Because I'm you. It's confusing. In the mean time, you need to get out pronto." America was talking faster than normal.

"I'm not leaving you." Canada's voice was adamant.

"I'm not leaving me either." America gave an unsure smile. "We don't know what's coming, and I imagine that you've been here long enough, eh? Oot. Now."

Canada couldn't help but crack a tiny smile at his brother's mocking.

"Kay dude!" Canada gently mocked back. He turned to the window and wavered a bit. "Um, wait... how should I-"

Canada was interrupted once again by noisy stumbling and a loud slurred combination of German and English. Whoever it was was slowly making his way towards the escapees.

"Bruder!" There was a crash. Heavy footsteps mixed with slurred words. "Whoops! Kesesesesyhatwasreallyfunnyo kayanyway aren't you glad ich came over 'n stuff? I'm so awesome."

The North Americans looked at each other and simutaneously muttered "Prussia."

There was a knocking sound, as if someone had just walked into a wall. "HEY! WHO THE HELL MOVED THE GODDAMM DOOR?! THE AWESOME ME WHOM I AM SHOULDN'T HAVE DOORS MOVED ON HIM AND stukkskshfkdndkeseseseses!" He burst out into giggles.

Canada stood up straight, giving America a questioning look. "If he's drunk then there shouldn't be much of a problem, should there?"

America's eyes had that veil again, like a dark mesh that made it hard to tell what he was really thinking. "You never know. Just... just dive out the window head first, okay?"

The way America was acting worried Canada even more than an oncoming drunk Prussian. "Head first?"

"WEEEEESSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTYYYY WESTTTTT Where aaaer yooooou?!" That came out as a whine. "ARE YOU FINALLYkkkkesesesesesesehaha hahaHAAAA, Y-YOU FINALLY DOING THE ITALIAN?KAKAJJSJSKKSSKKESSESESESESHA AA!" A door opened and slammed. "Not in there you arentttt. WEEEEESTT, IMMA GET THE DOOR, KAAYYY?"

Panicked and extremely ungracefully, Canada stuck his torso out of the window. was sitting there in a pretty neutral state, eyeing China suspiciously every now and then, seemingly unaware of everyone's panicky state. Canada reached out, attempting to put his hands on the ground while trying to prevent himself from falling on his face.

"Al, I need a boost!" He hissed. He felt ridiculous.

"On it!" America replied. He grabbed his brother's ankles so that he could walk forward on his hands.

"Prussia! You dumkoph!" The deep, sober voice boomed out from Prussia's general direction, and it sounded angry.

The two brothers froze- looking like they were trying to win a human wheelbarrow contest through a window.

"Germany, do you-a have to be so mean to ?" Italy's voice was desperately trying to sound soothing. "He just wanted to have a good time and-"

"He broke my teapot! I will not have him breaking anything else, or ruining my work!"

Their voices were so close.

"America!" Canada whispered. "Lower me quickly, and I'll help China distract Germany while you get out!"

Before America even had the chance to respond, Prussia came running up, opened the front door, and promptly took the food from China. He was followed quickly by Germany, who had Italy chasing after him frantically.

"China, this food tastes like shit." Prussia was eating something that looked like it was supposed to be stir fry with his hands.

"China?" Germany forced Prussia aside, causing him to fall over in a fit of giggles, and then crying because Bruder spilled the shitty food.

"Ve~ is here now, and he even brought his acrobats!"

Italy, his eyes closed and mouth agape in a stupid grin, pointed to America and Canada. Germany slowly turned around, and saw the two.

America waved.

China's wok got a taste of Germany's head. The confused nation wobbled a bit, then fell to the ground, completely knocked out.

"G-Germany!" Italy yelled. He ran to his ally and looked up at China teary eyed. Then he ran to the kitchen faster than anyone had seen him run before.

"Let's GO!" Canada yelled, and America listened. He finished helping Canada through the window, and made a mad dash for the door, grabbing China by the ponytail on his way out. The door slammed behind them.

Moments later, a very irritated Austrian came out. "Vhat in ze world-" He stopped short. Prussia was dead drunk, lying on the ground, moaning. Germany had a large knot on his head, and was unconscious on the floor. Italy was no where to be found.

Austria slowly turned around, and returned to his room.

* * *

"CANADA!" England and France called out simultaneously. England seemed a bit embarrassed by his outburst, but France held nothing back as he squeezed the life out the younger nation.

"Good job, Amerika!" Russia called out in a sing-song voice. "We should go back to my place and celebrate with some vodka, da~?"

Russia's suggestion went ignored as England and France pummulled everyone else with questions.

"Are you alright?"  
"Did he hurt you?"  
"Are you hurt at all?"  
"I just asked that you frog!"  
"Oui, but I want to know for myself, an-"  
"Alfred, what took you so long?! You.. are Alfred, aren't you?"  
"Of course not, that is Mathue plain as day!"  
"No, that is obviously-"

"Shut up!" Canada yelled. Everyone went silent and stared for a moment before he released a sheepish grin. "Thank you all for coming, I'm fine, really. Can we.. please, just go home?"

The group more or less all said yes, or begged yes, or wondered out loud why they all couldn't stop by their place first just to have a few vodkas. They all started to move out when-

"H-Hey!" There, standing in the threshold was Italy, his eyes open (though still watery) and holding a cheese grater threateningly. "I.. I'm not about to just let you go! Germany has done nothing but work very very hard to make his boss happy! And he never is!"  
Italy took a couple of steps closer.  
"So... So if Germany can't finish his job, I'll do it for him! , get back inside!"

The Allies were speechless.

" !" Italy's voice was the most serious it had ever been. He ran up and grabbed Canada's arm, making desperate attempts to pull him back in. It had the same effect as a young child trying to tug their parents into a candy store.

Canada could not believe this. Nope. He just couldn't. Here he was, on the cusp of freedom. And there was this whiny, determined man trying to prevent that. He was going to squash him like a bug. He looked Italy square in the face.

"Excuse me?" He smiled, but it wasn't polite. Oh, no. "Are you being serious right now? I have been through more today than your little pasta-oriented mind could comprehed, mostly because it's convoluted and full of continuity errors, but that isn't the point!" He ripped his arm out of the speechless Italian's grip. "The point is, you actually believe you could ever make America go back with you by threatening him with a cheese grater? Oh, and yes, that's right. I'm not America. No! I am motherfucking Canada, and gosh darn it, you messed with the wrong country! I am not going to go back with you! Hell no! I'm going to go home, take a shower, feed my bear and go to sleep. That's something you'd be familiar with, wouldn't it? The sleeping, not the bathing. And further more-"

"Uh, Canada-" America's voice was quiet. Canada whipped around in response.

"What?!"

"Dude ran away after the first minute or so." America was beaming from ear to ear. "That was awesome."

* * *

It had been a week since the whole kerfuffle. Apologies had been exchanged, forgiveness was shared, and confusions among the other nations were more or less sorted out.

Matthew was lounging on the couch, pretending to watch a hockey game he had already seen, when he heard someone clearing their throat.

"Hey, Mattie?" Canada looked up from the television only to find America leaning against the threshold to the kitchen. Canada raised his eyebrows, prompting America to go on.

"...I don't really have to do the dishes, for a whole five months, do I?"

**_Author Notes:_**

**_Welp. We did it kiddies. We're done here. _**

**_Thank you, everyone, for reading and reviewing. I never would've ever imagined that this two year old, poorly written fanfic would get the attention it's gotten. _**

**_I couldn't ever say it enough. Thank you. _**

**_As always, _**

**_HAPPY READING_**.


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